Thomas & Friends: The International Railway Series
by Hufflepuff Batboy
Summary: A reboot of season 22 onwards of Thomas & Friends to feel more in line with seasons 17-21. Many of the stories will be rewrites with the occasional original story thrown in there. CURRENT BOOK: "Gordon and the New Engines" - When Henry departs Tidmouth for Vicarstown, Gordon is not happy about this and takes his anger out on Nia, which costs him the respect of his peers.
1. Thomas Goes Abroad

**THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY SERIES No. 1**

**THOMAS AND NIA**

**Based upon ****_Big World! Big Adventures!_**** by Andrew Brenner**

* * *

**Foreword**

Hello, everyone! It's Thomas here!

Before I even came to Sodor, a lifelong dream of mine has been to see the world. Many engines back in Brighton would look down on me for being a big dreamer, but I never once gave up on having it.

That all changed in 1979 when I first arrived to the North Western Railway on Sodor and became the most famous engine there. Now, thirty years later, I finally got the chance to leave British rails for the first time when I was invited to the Great Railway Show in Canada.

Of course, things didn't quite go according to plan, but if it wasn't for a mix up... Wait, why am I telling you this now? Just read the stories to find out!

Your friend,

Thomas the Tank Engine

* * *

**THOMAS GOES ABROAD**

Thomas the tank engine is one of the most famous engines to ever live on the Island of Sodor. When he first came to the North Western Railway, he started out as a station pilot. But after helping another engine called James after a nasty accident, he was rewarded with his own branch line and two coaches of his own called Annie and Clarabel.

As years went by, Thomas made many new friends and had quite a few misadventures, and despite all of the wonderful things he gained in his new home, there was still one dream that Thomas wished would come true - to see the world.

* * *

One morning, Thomas was shunting trucks in Knapford station yards when the yard manager came up to him.

"Sir Topham Hatt needs you and some other engines at Tidmouth Sheds," she explained. "He has an important announcement."

"I'll be right there, ma'am," said Thomas. "I wonder what Sir Topham Hatt has to announce."

"Hopefully you're not in trouble for gallivanting away from your branch line for the umpteenth time," his driver teased.

"H-hey!" Thomas protested. "True, I'm usually not supposed to abandon my jobs for silly reasons, but this time I had an excuse! Paxton took on some bad fuel and so I had to fill in for him."

* * *

Before long, Thomas arrived Tidmouth sheds. Among the engines waiting there were James, Percy, Emily, Duck, Donald, Stanley, Ryan, Daisy and Diesel.

"Now then," Sir Topham Hatt began, "I suppose you all want to know why I called you out here."

"If it's about that incident with Paxton being tricked into taking tainted fuel," Diesel spoke up, "I had nothing to do with it!"

"_Sure_ you didn't," snorted James sarcastically. Before an argument could break out, Sir Topham Hatt cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"As I'm sure you'll remember," he announced, "a couple years ago, some of my engines partook in the Great Railway Show in England. This year, I've been given an invitation to bring a few of my engines for the Great Railway Show in Canada."

"Canada, sir?" asked Ryan. "Don't think I ever heard of it."

"It's an urban country in the North American continent that borders the United States," explained Duck. "Our Queen is monarch of Canada."

Ryan was rather puzzled. "How can someone be in charge of two countries?" he pondered.

"We'll explain another time," sighed Duck.

"Yes, well, as I was saying," said Sir Topham Hatt, "the engines I've decided to send to Canada for the Great Railway Show are Emily for the Best Dressed Engine Parade and Thomas for the Shunting Challenge."

"But what about for strength and speed?" asked Thomas.

"With summer coming up," explained Sir Topham Hatt, "I'll need the strongest engines I can get in order to keep up with the rush."

"Maybe Gordon doesn't want a reminder about his time as the Shooting Star," James smirked. The other engines laughed.

* * *

That night, Thomas, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Emily were at Tidmouth sheds talking about the Great Railway Show. Some time ago, Edward had moved out of Tidmouth sheds to sleep at Wellsworth sheds with Philip the diesel box-cab and take him under his wing. Since then, his berth at Tidmouth has been mainly used as a guest berth for engines who pass by Tidmouth at night.

"You think Sir Topham Hatt will ever consider having someone else be a permanent resident here in Edward's place?" Henry asked.

"It would be better if Edward just came back here," Gordon snorted.

"Edward chose to move to Wellsworth so he can be closer to his branch line," Emily insisted.

"Well then, why don't Thomas and Percy move to the sheds on their branch line?"

"These sheds are close enough to Knapford," said Thomas, "and that's the junction to not only my branch line, but the mainline and Duck's line as well." James, meanwhile, had his own reason to be grumpy.

"How come Thomas and Emily get to go to the Great Railway Show and I don't?" he complained.

"Maybe it's because you went there without thinking of decorating yourself for the parade?" suggested Percy cheekily. "You couldn't act like it was casual Friday, you know."

"I could've won if not for that Indian engine with the crown!" protested James.

"Sure you could have," Percy added.

"Do you think I'll do well in the Best Decorated Engine Parade, Thomas?" Emily asked.

"I'm sure you will," said Thomas. "There's no other engine on Sodor that stands out as much as you do." This made Emily feel better.

* * *

The following morning, Thomas was to be sent to Brendam docks so he could the board the ship to Canada. As it would be a long journey by sea, Thomas was not immediately fired up when his crew arrived.

"Why isn't Emily coming as well?" Thomas asked. "We're both meant to go to Canada."

"When Shunting Challenge competitors get to a country," his driver explained, "they have to be sent there in order to understand the layout of the yard before the day the Great Railway Show takes place."

"Oh," said Thomas. Just then, Edward pulled into the sheds.

"Hello, Thomas," the elderly blue tender engine greeted. "I've been sent to take you to Brendam Docks on my goods train."

"Hello, Edward," Thomas smiled. "It's great to see you again."

* * *

Soon, Thomas and Edward were out on the mainline heading towards Brendam docks. The tank engine's crew were riding with the guard in the brake van.

"So how are things down at Wellsworth?" asked Thomas.

"Perfectly well, thank you," said Edward. "Philip's good company and a hard worker. How are things here at Tidmouth?"

"Gordon's been complaining again," sighed Thomas. "But that's not much of a surprise, is it?"

"I suppose not," chuckled Edward.

"Things on my branch line have been very busy since Daisy left to run the Harwick extension with Ryan," said Thomas. "Although it's nice to get help from Stanley every now and again, we do need another engine to help run the extension to Ulfstead more permanently, especially now that Rosie's been transferred to Vicarstown."

"Perhaps you can ask Sir Topham Hatt about this," suggested Edward.

"Hopefully I'll find a chance," Thomas insisted. "Especially after the Great Railway Show." They were soon passing Wellsworth where Philip the young diesel box cab was shunting trucks in the yard.

"Hello, Edward!" he called cheerfully. "And you too, Thomas! Good luck with the Shunting Challenge!"

"Thanks, Philip," called Thomas.

"He almost reminds me of you when you first came to Sodor," chuckled Edward. "Maybe he'll get his own branch line someday too."

"It won't be as important as _my_ branch line," Thomas insisted, sounding a bit jealous of the idea. Edward just chuckled.

* * *

Before long, the two engines reached Brendam docks.

"Good morning, Cranky," Edward greeted. "I've brought Thomas here for his trip to Canada."

"Found Sodor too boring for the likes of you?" Cranky joked.

"I'm not abandoning Sodor!" Thomas protested. "I'm just going to take part in the Great Railway Show."

"I was being sarcastic," Cranky muttered.

Before cargo is loaded or unloaded from ships, it is always important for the dock managers to make sure they get the right ships. But this morning, the dock manager was in a rush; he had overslept, and didn't have the time to check his papers properly. And as a result, instead of being boarded on the ship bound for Canada, which was named _The Silver Moose_, Thomas was loaded onto a ship called _The Jade Python_.

By the time the dock manager realized his mistake, it was already too late.

"Sir Topham Hatt is not going to be pleased when he hears of this," he groaned. "Goodness knows where Thomas is going to actually end up!"

* * *

Thomas, meanwhile, was completely unaware of the situation.

"I wonder how long it will take to reach Canada," he pondered to himself. "I also wonder who we'll meet up with again there; maybe I'll end up meeting Ashima again or maybe a few new faces I didn't see last time around!"

Thomas got more and more excited as the ship carried on with its journey. He did notice, however, that the temperature seemed to get hotter as the journey went on, but he didn't give it much thought.

* * *

After several days, the ship finally arrived at a dock.

"That must be it!" cried Thomas. "I've arrived at Canada!"

The ship's storage doors opened, the chains keeping Thomas from rolling about inside were undone, and soon he found himself being lifted by a crane.

"Wow..." Thomas murmured in amazement, taking in the sights of his new surroundings. "I never knew Canada would look this incredible."

"Canada?" Thomas looked down to a gentleman with a camel in tow.

"I am afraid you are mistaken," the man said. "This is the Dakar docks of Senegal in Africa. You must have gotten on the wrong ship."

"Dakar docks of Senegal, Africa?!" Thomas cried with shock. "Then how did I... Oh dear. Sir Topham Hatt is not going to be happy about this."

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, there you go then! Something that I've wanted to do for a while is a sort of reboot of the series from _Big World! Big Adventures!_ onward by A) fixing up stories to be more realistic (at least, as much as possible), B) allowing other engines other than Thomas to see the world, and C) continuing to build upon the foundations left behind by seasons 17-21.

This first chapter is based upon the Sodor scenes of the actual special, minus the presence of Ace (I don't know if he'll appear or not in future stories) and the inclusion of another Great Railway Show taking place in Canada. I do plan a rewrite of _The Great Race_ to tie into future International Railway Series books, as well as one for _Journey Beyond Sodor_. And no, I didn't forget about Carly and Big Mickey; the latter is a non-character in my eyes (his speaking roles add nothing to the show, and he won't add anything to my BWBA reboot), and as for the former, I plan to relocate her to Arlesburgh in order to expand on the harbor there. Plus, it gives me an excuse to rewrite _New Crane on the Dock_, one of the weaker season 21 episodes.

Next time; Thomas makes his _Journey Across Africa_!


	2. Journey Across Africa

**JOURNEY ACROSS AFRICA**

Thomas was still processing the fact that somehow, instead of going to Canada to partake in the Great Railway Show for the Shunting Challenge, he had ended up instead in Senegal, Africa. His crew were equally confused as well.

"How could this have happened?" asked the driver.

"That's what I'm wondering," said the fireman. He then waved at the dock manager.

"Excuse me," he said. "Could you tell us when the next ship to Sodor will be departing?"

"Sodor?" the dock manager asked with confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't know that place."

"It's an island off of the coast of England," explained the driver.

"Wait here," said the dock manager, and he left to check the schedule for ship departures and arrivals. It was several minutes before he came back.

"I'm afraid we don't have any ships departing for Sodor any time soon," he said. "It looks as though you're stuck here." Thomas did not like the sound of that at all.

"But I _have_ to get back!" he insisted. "All of my friends will be wondering where I am!"

"Aren't there at least any ships that are bound for England?" asked the driver.

"Well, there is one," said the dock manager. Thomas' eyes lit up with anticipation. "But it won't be due out for another three days."

"_Three days?!_" cried Thomas. "Then what am I supposed to do in that time?"

"Well you could help around with odd jobs," the dock manager offered.

Thomas sighed. "I suppose it is better than nothing," he said. Just then, another workman came up.

"Excuse me, sir," he said to the dock manager. "We just got a call that the engine delivering a train from here to Dar es Salaam has failed. They need a relief engine to finish the journey."

"I could take it," Thomas offered. The dock manager looked at Thomas skeptically.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It is a very long journey and the train isn't going to be light work either."

"I'm sure I can handle it," Thomas insisted. "I've pulled long trains before."

"In that case," said the dock manager, "you're going to need to bring a water tanker and coal truck with you and a support coach for your crew." With the water tanker, coal truck and support coach coupled up, Thomas set out.

* * *

As Thomas traveled down the line across Senegal, he looked around his surroundings with curiosity, but gradually, it fell to boredom; all he could see for miles was nothing but sandy deserts. Eventually, however, after several hours of non-stop desert, he and his crew could see a man waving a red flag, telling them to stop.

"Hello," said Thomas' driver. "What's up?"

"Our engine has burst a cylinder on the way to Choum," the other engine's driver explained. He spoke in a language that Thomas and his crew didn't understand, so the fireman had to translate between both parties.

"There were no other engines for miles, but we need your help to get us there and then you can help take over our train," translated the fireman.

"Well, we'd be happy to help," said Thomas.

"_Shukraan lakum_," smiled the driver. He didn't need translating that time; Thomas and his crew knew what he was saying.

Thomas buffered up to the rear of the train and was coupled up. With a blow of his whistle, he began to push as hard as he could. It was a lot of work and a long journey, but Thomas wouldn't give up until they reached Choum yards.

"Must keep going, must keep going," he puffed to himself. The engine in front didn't say anything, but he was impressed at the little blue engine's determination to get both of them to their destination.

* * *

Thomas was exhausted by the time he and the other engine had arrived at Choum yards. The other engine was put onto a siding out of the way for inspection, and Thomas went onto another to fill up on water and coal.

"Thank you for helping us when we were stranded," called a voice. Thomas looked over in surprise; the lead truck had spoken to him. "You have no idea how much we appreciate your help and admire your strength."

"You're... welcome," said Thomas, after what felt like an eternity. He had never known trucks to be so friendly before! _Maybe they're not all bad in every country,_ he thought to himself. _I wish all trucks were like those in Africa._

Once he, the water tanker and the coal truck had been topped off again, Thomas was coupled up to the front of the train. As soon as he was given the all clear to head off on his way, Thomas blew his whistle and pulled out of the yards with his train.

"This is going to be quite a long journey," sighed Thomas. "Probably even longer than any journey I've ever had on Sodor!"

_I hear the drums echoing tonight_

_But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation_

It was very late in the evening as Thomas pulled his train across Mauritania; his regular crew were asleep in the support coach whilst a relief crew took control.

_She's coming in, 12:30 flight_

_Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation_

A couple of days later, Thomas had arrived at a goods yard in Niger where another engine shunted some more trucks to the back of his train.

_I stopped an old man along the way_

_Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies_

By now, Thomas was beginning to struggle as he pulled his train, not helped by the hot weather, but he wasn't about to let it stop him.

_He turned to me as if to say_

_"Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"_

There was a distant rumble as dark clouds began to loom over. Thomas was pulling an even longer train as he crossed over Sudan and towards the bridge over the river Nile.

_It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you_

_There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do_

Rain was now pouring down very hard, but Thomas, his crew and the trucks didn't seem to mind very much.

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_Gonna take some time to do the things we never had..._

Thomas' tanks and the water tanker had their lids open to catch rainwater as it fell, giving them more water to help last the journey. Plus, the rain seemed to help cool things down after endless hours in the hot desert.

* * *

It had been several days since his journey first started, but Thomas couldn't hide the strain of pulling a train gradually increasing in length almost non-stop when he pulled into a goods yard in Kenya.

"How do... other engines... manage?" Thomas managed to gasp. "I think I... could burst...!"

"Would you like some help?" a voice offered.

Thomas looked over to see who had spoken to him. It was a black tank engine with ten wheels, the middle six being her driving wheels, extended side tanks and an African pattern painted across her tanks and dome in red, yellow, green and purple. The number eighteen was painted on the sides of her cab and in the middle of the pattern on her tanks, Thomas could see the name "Nia" painted on.

"I'd much appreciate it," he said. "I'm Thomas, by the way."

"You can call me Nia," the other tank engine greeted.

The engines decided to split the train in half. That way, they would both be pulling the same amount of the train. Like Thomas, Nia had a water tanker and a coal truck behind her to provide her with extra fuel.

"With an engine your size," said Nia, "I'm actually amazed you made it this far; most engines I see coming here are much bigger."

"Was that a crack about my size?!" Thomas snapped, taking offense to Nia's comment.

"Oh, of course not!" Nia insisted. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any insult to you."

"Oh," said Thomas. "Sorry for snapping. I'm just so used to having bigger engines tease me back on Sodor."

"That's not right for them to tease you," Nia protested.

"That's what I keep saying," said Thomas. "But they still think and follow their silly superiority complex."

"Quite a few engines treat me the same way," Nia insisted. "Kwaku is one of the few big engines that are nice to me."

Nia was in the middle of the train so that the weight was evenly balanced both in front and in back. Once everything was ready, Thomas set off once again, this time with another engine helping him.

_The wild dogs cry out in the night_

_As they grow restless longing for some solitary company_

A lone wolf stood far away from the railway, watching the two tank engines pulling the long train across the Kenyan landscape.

_I know that I must do what's right_

_As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti_

Thomas and Nia approached a giant hill and began to climb. Thomas was glad that Nia had come along; otherwise, he would never have made it halfway up the hill.

_I seek to cure what's deep inside_

_Frightened of this thing that I've become_

At last, both engines reached the top of the hill. The downward journey was much easier, but Thomas and Nia both knew to brake carefully in case of derailment.

_It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you_

_There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do_

Thomas and Nia began to pass through a small Kenyan village; people waved and said hello upon seeing Nia. They even said hello to Thomas.

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_Gonna take some time to do the things we never had..._

The two engines were now passing through a marketplace, seeing people selling fruits in little stands. Thomas' crew was tempted to buy a few pieces of fruit for themselves, but they had an important job to do.

* * *

Thomas and Nia found themselves once again in a sandy desert part of Kenya; the sun was beginning to set, and on either side of the line, gazelles, zebras and giraffes looked as if they were racing the engines.

"We should slow down there, Thomas," called Nia. "We don't want to hurt any of the animals!"

"Do they frequently show up alongside the line during journeys?" asked Thomas.

"Usually when there's no trains coming," said Nia.

"Well, we usually blow our whistles to make sure they get off of the tracks back on Sodor," said Thomas.

_Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you..._

To prove his point, Thomas sounded his whistle to alert the animals that they were approaching, and they responded by running further away from the tracks.

_It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you_

_There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do_

Now that the animals were safely away from the tracks, Thomas and Nia could gather speed once more and continued the final leg of their journey to their destination, Dar es Salaam.

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

_Gonna take some time to do the things we never had..._

All the same, as the sun continued to set, Thomas wondered what else they would have to encounter on this journey. And he also wondered how his friends were doing back on Sodor.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Here, we've finally met up with Nia the Kenyan engine! My take on her is that before she came to Sodor, she was painted black but still had African patterns painted onto her. But not to worry; she will be painted orange by the time this saga ends. I mean, Thomas, Gordon and James weren't painted in the liveries we recognize them in when they came to Sodor, were they? So why go against that?

And yes, I decided to use "Africa" by Toto for the two montage sequences with Thomas pulling his increasing-in-length train across the continent, the second time with Nia's help, which I felt was fitting given the setting. Weezer released their own version at the same time as Big World! Big Adventures! came out, and I think it could've worked quite well. Though Toto's original would've worked just as well; after all, you can't beat the original.

Next time, we learn about some _Traveling Secrets_!


	3. Traveling Secrets

**TRAVELING SECRETS**

There was a lot of bustling activity at the dockyards of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Engines were coming in to and fro with their goods while the cranes worked hard to load and unload the ships. One crane, a red one named Kobe, was currently waiting for the goods train Thomas and Nia were bringing in.

"Where could that train be?" he wondered anxiously. "The ship could be leaving any moment."

Just then, Kobe heard two whistles coming in from the distance. Within minutes, Thomas and Nia pulled in.

"Welcome to Dar es Salaam, Thomas!" Nia greeted. Thomas looked around at the dock yard. This truly was a fascinating sight.

"Greetings, Nia," Kobe greeted the black tank engine. "Who's that engine in front?"

"This is Thomas," Nia introduced. "He was meant to go to Canada, but he was put on the wrong ship by mistake."

"And now I'm trying to get back home," Thomas added. "Do you know of any ships bound for England?"

"There was a ship bound for England," explained Kobe, "but I'm afraid you just missed it. It left half an hour ago."

"Oh, botheration!" Thomas grumbled. "Now how are we supposed to get home?"

"We'll have to send Sir Topham Hatt a message about where we are," his driver suggested. He went over to the dock manager and asked if he could make a phone call.

While this was happening, a large red engine with an unusual shape Thomas had never seen before came into the docks with his own goods train. On the front, the engine had four small leading wheels, eight driving wheels and two trailing wheels; on the other end, the wheel arrangement was reversed. The engine's boiler was resting in between both sets of frames, but was also still resting on the end of both frames; there was a large water tank on front and on the back was a large coal bunker. Thomas was amazed by the engine's size; he looked to be even bigger than Gordon!

"Hello, Kwaku!" Nia called happily.

"Nia!" Kwaku cried happily. "So good to see you! How are your wheels? How is your boiler? How are your pistons? Have the tracks been taking you where to go, and are your fellow engines keeping you well?"

"I am well, thank you," smiled Nia. "How are _your_ wheels? How is your boiler? How are your pistons? Have the tracks been taking you where to go, and are your fellow engines keeping you well?"

Thomas was baffled by their greeting; that was probably the most complex way of saying hello that he'd ever heard!

"Has your shed been rebuilt yet?" Kwaku asked.

"No, I'm afraid," Nia sighed sadly. "The manager says it's not worth investing in."

"Not worth investing in?" asked Thomas. "But isn't a shed supposed to protect engines, coaches and trucks from the elements at night?"

"Yes," said Nia. "But unfortunately, my manager doesn't think I'm that valuable enough to be protected. So I usually have to spend the nights sleeping in a goods shed."

"That's not right!" protested Thomas. "Nia, you deserve better than this! Don't your friends stand up for you?"

"They're too afraid," Nia insisted. "I don't blame them; our manager threatened to scrap us if we dared speak up against him."

"How dare he!" Thomas gasped. "My controller, Sir Topham Hatt, would have never made such a cruel threat!"

The blue engine remembered the harshest scolding he ever received from his own controller; that was when Sir Topham Hatt thought Thomas was intending to hurt Ryan with dynamite during the construction of the Harwick extension, and it didn't help that Thomas had kept causing trouble beforehand by derailing Gordon's coaches and falling into a cavern after ignoring warning signs and workmen and engines telling him to stop. At the time, it almost looked as if Sir Topham Hatt was about to send his number one engine away for good, but even _that_ paled in comparison to what Nia's manager did and said to her and her friends.

"I put up with him as much as I could," Nia said bravely. "He took me in after my brothers and sisters were withdrawn. I'm the only one of my kind left."

"What happened to them?" asked Thomas. "I mean, how did they end up... well..." He couldn't finish the sentence; Nia and Kwaku understood what he was about to say.

"Nia's brothers and sisters were replaced by bigger engines," Kwaku sighed.

"My brothers and sisters were replaced too," Thomas remarked. Before he could say anymore, the little blue engine noticed his driver coming back.

"It turns out that Sir Topham Hatt left for Canada a few days ago with Emily," he said. "Mr. Percival's temporarily in charge for the time being."

"Certainly better than Dowager Hatt running the railway again," muttered Thomas' fireman. "Though I hate to imagine how Mr. Percival will manage two railways at once..."

"Were you able to at least ask him to arrange a ship to get us back to Sodor?" asked Thomas.

"That he's working on, but I did also ask him to relay a message to Sir Topham Hatt when he arrives in Canada," said the driver.

"Thank goodness," Thomas sighed. Then another thought came to him. "Nia?"

"Yes?" Nia responded.

"How would you like to leave that bully manager of yours and come with me to Sodor?" Thomas offered.

"Oh, I would love to!" Nia gasped. "I've always dreamed of seeing new places and making new friends. ...but that would also mean having to leave my old friends behind..."

"It will be alright, Nia," Kwaku insisted. "We will miss you, but you would be so much happier in a new home." Nia smiled a bit. But she still felt a bit worried.

"What if manager won't let me go?" she asked.

"If he tries to hurt you," Thomas insisted, "then he will have me and my crew to answer to."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Kenya, Nia's manager was not happy.

"Where is that engine?" he demanded, looking about the shunting yards. "She was meant to stay here and keep the trains in order for the others to take out!"

"She went with a foreign engine to Dar es Salaam with a goods train," a workman answered.

"What foreign engine?"

"He was a short, blue tank engine with six wheels and a yellow number one on his side tanks. He doesn't look like he was built around here."

"Who does this engine think he is?" demanded the manager. "Popping up in Africa and taking one of my engines along with him. I'm going to Dar es Salaam!" With that, he stormed off to find transport.

* * *

That night, Thomas and Nia were fast asleep in some sheds at Dar es Salaam Docks. Thomas slept very comfortably, especially after taking such a heavy train over a long distance for at least a fortnight, but although Nia was grateful at having a roof to protect her from the elements, she had a very bad memory come to her in her sleep...

* * *

_Nia and many other engines watched on helplessly as another engine, having been injected with a euthanizing chemical, was dismantled. The manager stood coldly by, watching the operation, before turning to the rest of the engines._

_"Remember," he said firmly, pointing to the broken up engine. "This is what happens to engines who do not do as their controllers tell them."_

_Not one engine would speak out of fear for being next. For Nia, it was a nightmare come to life..._

* * *

Nia gasped as she awoke. She looked over at Thomas, who was still fast asleep.

"What an awful dream," she shuddered. "The sooner I am away from that man, the happier I will be."

"It was about what happened to Asha that fateful day, wasn't it?" asked a voice from next to her. Nia looked over to see Kwaku looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Yes," Nia said. "Why does my manager have to be so cruel?"

"It's hard to say," Kwaku insisted. "Some people just choose to be cruel. It's like all that matters to them is making money and bossing people around. But don't worry, Nia. Soon you'll be safe from all of that."

With a yawn, Nia closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

A bit of a shorter chapter this time around, but also one of the sadder ones thus far. I've given Nia a bit of Adaptational Angst Upgrade by having lost her siblings in favor of stronger engines and being taken in by an abusive manager, working for him out of fear. Not only that, just seeing a close friend of yours being killed and then having their body taken to pieces, I imagine, would traumatize anyone. But it isn't all sad; I've expanded on Kwaku's character slightly by having him as the gentle giant of Nia's old railway, essentially the Edward of Africa with a bit of Henry thrown in.

Next time, we learn about _A New Home for Nia_!


	4. A New Home for Nia

**A NEW HOME FOR NIA**

Thomas and Nia were completely unaware that the latter's abusive manager was now on the hunt looking for her. Now that a message had been forwarded to Sir Topham Hatt, it was only a matter of time as to when he would turn up and bring his number one engine - and hopefully Nia as well - back to Sodor. A ship from Sodor to Canada would take a week to get there, but a flight from Canada to Tanzania would take, at most, about two to four days depending on what stops were made.

In the meantime, Thomas and Nia were kept busy arranging trucks around Dar es Salaam Docks; at least they had something to do whilst they were waiting.

"Most of the people around Dar es Salaam are rather nice," said Thomas. "Why doesn't your controller just sell you to another part of Africa if he doesn't care for you?"

"I wish I knew," sighed Nia. "Maybe he needs me around just so the other engines don't have to shunt their own trains."

"Or maybe he doesn't want you telling anybody about how mean he's being," Thomas suggested. "He might be afraid of getting into trouble. But don't worry. He won't hurt you again once we get to Sodor."

* * *

Meanwhile, Nia's manager was out in the desert riding a camel. Unfortunately for him, camels could not go as fast as engines could, and he had to take a different route that didn't travel close to the railway.

"This is going to take forever," he groaned, tugging at his camel's reigns. "Come on, you blasted camel, move!"

The camel was rather offended by this remark. So it retaliated by turning its head around, and spitting on the manager.

"Ugh, yuck!" the manager groaned, wiping it off in disgust. "No wonder we eat creatures like you; you're too stupid for anything else!"

Now the camel was _really_ angry. It then began to shake violently, trying to throw the manager off.

"Stop this crazy creature!" he cried before finally falling into the sand. The manager spat out some sand that had gotten into his mouth and growled.

"I hate camels..."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Dar es Salaam...

"Good news, Thomas," said his driver. "Mr. Percival has just phoned back and said that Sir Topham Hatt is on his way to Dar es Salaam."

"Hooray!" cried Thomas. "Once he gets here, I'll ask him if Nia can come with us back home."

"How long will he be?" asked Nia.

"He's expected to arrive by aeroplane," said Thomas' driver. "It should take him about two to four days, at best."

"We may as well get back to work," Nia suggested. "It will help pass the time."

"I just hope your controller doesn't turn up before Sir Topham Hatt does," sighed Thomas.

* * *

A few days later, Thomas and Nia had finished arranging some trucks into their sidings when they caught sight of a plane flying overhead.

"That must be Sir Topham Hatt!" cried Thomas excitedly. "It'll soon be over!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Nia sighed with relief. "I do hope he will take me with."

* * *

A couple of hours later, the engines were filling up with more coal and water from their hard work. Suddenly, they heard a commotion from a crowd of people.

"What's going on over there?" asked Thomas. The two engines could see someone arguing and pushing their way through the crowded streets.

"It's my manager!" Nia gasped when she recognized the figure.

Yes indeed; Nia's manager had finally arrived at Dar es Salaam. But he was also a complete mess. His clothes were in tatters, and he was covered with sand, straw and mud. He also wore an unhinged expression on his face, which made Nia feel most uncomfortable.

"YOU!" he roared, pointing an angry finger at Nia. "Just what do you think you are playing at running off with this... this... blue puffball?!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," Nia stuttered. "H-h-he needed help."

"I don't care!" the manager snapped. "I took you in when your siblings were taken out of service, and this is how you repay me? I should have just left you in the scrapyards, you ungrateful pile of junk!"

"Don't you dare talk to her that way!" hissed Thomas.

"What did you say to me?!" snapped Nia's manager.

"I said 'Don't you dare talk to her that way'!" Thomas repeated. "Nia was only doing what she thought was right by helping an engine in need! She does not deserve to be bullied!"

"She is _my_ engine!" the manager barked. "Engines are meant to do as they are told _when_ they are told! Those who don't are better off as scrap metal!"

"That's not what _my_ controller, Sir Topham Hatt thinks," Thomas retorted. "He may scold us engines at times when we make mistakes, but he would never do something as cruel as to have us scrapped just because we stand up for ourselves! He even sees to it that we have proper sheds to sleep in!"

"Your controller sounds like a soft good-for-nothing!" the manager scoffed. "On my railway, _I_ make the orders, and nobody is going to tell _me_ what to do!" He was so angry that he swung a shovel at Thomas. A small scrape was made on one of the tank engine's buffers, but Thomas wasn't phased by this. He was not going to back down and let this wicked man get away for all he had put Nia through.

"I should just break you to pieces right here, right now!" the manager added.

"You will do no such thing!" a voice bellowed. A jeep drove into the yard. In the passenger seat was a very familiar stout gentleman.

"Sir Topham Hatt!" Thomas cried. "Am I ever so pleased to see you, sir!" Once the jeep came to a stop, Sir Topham Hatt practically jumped out and walked over to Nia's manager.

"You keep your hands off of my engine!" he roared. The manager, feeling like it would be a bad idea to argue with a fellow railway controller, dropped his shovel.

"Now," Sir Topham Hatt began, "just what on earth is going on around here?"

"Well, sir," Thomas began, "this is my new friend, Nia. She helped me in delivering a goods train here after I couldn't manage it alone. Can she please come back to Sodor with us?"

"Over my dead body!" snapped the manager. "That engine belongs to _me_, and I am taking her back to Kenya right this minute!"

"No, I am not!" Nia snapped. "I have had enough of you!"

"Don't you dare talk that way to me!" the manager barked. "I am your manager!"

"No, you're not!" Nia hissed. "You are a _bully_!"

Nia then told Sir Topham Hatt all the mean-spirited things her manager had done. Sir Topham Hatt could not believe that an engine like Nia would be given such cruel treatment from someone who willingly took her in and then treated her like a piece of scrap. He turned angrily at the manager and rolled his sleeves up as though he were going to punch him.

"Who do you think you are?!" he bellowed at the cruel man. "Just because you are in control of an engine, that does not give you the right to bully them! Sometimes I may get cross when my engines make mistakes, but I would never be as cruel as to scrap them! You, sir, know absolutely nothing about running a railway!"

Before Nia's manager could come up with a retort, the sound of police sirens filled the air. And within seconds, several police cars pulled up to the scene. Stepping out of one of the police cars was the workman Nia's manager had last spoken to.

"There he is, officers!" he declared, pointing to the horrid man.

"Just what is going on here?" the manager demanded.

"The railway company has heard rumors that you have been bullying your engines and staff while also hoarding money to yourself," the workman explained. "So they sent me in as a mole to see if the rumors were true."

"What?!" the manager cried. "I have done no such thing!"

"I believe you have," said Kwaku, coming in with a train of his own. "Threatening us with scrap when we talked back, giving patch jobs instead of full overhauls, forcing workmen to work overtime, giving them little time to be with their families... Shall I go on?"

The manager just stared in complete shock; two of his engines were no longer afraid of him. Now they were calling him out for how cheaply and harshly he had managed his part of Africa's railway system for years, and it had finally caught up with him. After such a humiliating call out, he willingly gave himself up without a fight, and was taken away.

"Now that my manager's being taken away," said Nia, "I just wonder what will happen to the rest of my friends."

"Perhaps they'll be sent to work with much nicer people," Thomas insisted.

"Which reminds me, Thomas," Sir Topham Hatt spoke up. "Besides the deal with Nia's cruel manager, did you have another reason to want Nia to come to Sodor?"

"I do, sir," said Thomas. "You see, ever since Daisy got transferred to Harwick and Rosie got sent to work at Vicarstown, my branch line's been more busy than usual. We appreciate the occasional help from Stanley, but we still need another engine to help run the Ulfstead extension. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you earlier before I was meant to go to Canada, sir."

"No, Thomas," Sir Topham Hatt sighed. "_I'm_ the one who should apologize. I should have anticipated this happening as soon as I sent Daisy to Harwick. I will have a word with the railway's superintendent."

He left without another word, leaving Thomas and Nia in suspense.

* * *

Two weeks later, the boat to Sodor pulled into Dar es Salaam docks. Not only that, but Sir Topham Hatt had also returned from his negotiations with the superintendent.

"After some negotiating," he announced, "I have succeeded in purchasing Nia." The engines were very happy to hear this.

"Oh, thank you, sir!" cried Nia. "But... what's going to become of Kwaku and the others?"

"He's being sold to a private collector in America," Sir Topham Hatt explained. "Apparently they have an interest in adding a Garratt engine to their collection."

"Well, it's good that he found a new home," Thomas said. "But what'll become of the rest of Nia's friends?"

"Some will get to stay where they are once a new manager, who actually knows how to run a railway, is brought in," explained Sir Topham Hatt. "But others are being sold off to other railways."

Hearing this made Nia feel much better. All the same, she still felt a little sad at having to leave the railway she once called home.

* * *

Before long, the engines were loaded by Kobe on the ship bound for Sodor.

"We'll miss having you around, Nia," said Kobe.

"And I will miss all of you too," said Nia.

"Don't worry, Nia," Thomas spoke up. "It always hurts to say goodbye to a friend, but you'll get to make many more friends in your new home."

Nia smiled at this thought. Brand new friends in a brand new home with a controller who actually knows how to run a railway. Could it get any better?

At last, the ship began to sail off into the sunset. The day, and Nia's time with her cruel manager, may be over. But a brand new day, with new beginnings, was just around the corner.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, that took way longer than I expected! But at long last, _Thomas and Nia_ comes to a close. Rather than being based on a specific scene from _Big World! Big Adventures!_, this chapter is more or less new content. At long last, Nia has officially become a member of the North Western Railway... but wait! What's been happening back on Sodor since Thomas' departure, and what about Emily taking part in the Great Railway Show in Canada?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in the second half of the movie adaptation, _Emily at the Great Railway Show_!


	5. Where in the World is Thomas?

**THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY SERIES No. 2**

**EMILY AT THE GREAT RAILWAY SHOW**

**Based upon ****_Big World! Big Adventures!_**** by Andrew Brenner**

* * *

**Foreword**

Hello, everyone; Emily speaking.

Not too long ago, Thomas and I were chosen by Sir Topham Hatt to represent Sodor for the Great Railway Show in Canada; him for the Shunting Challenge, and myself for the Best Decorated Engine Parade. Thomas was to be sent there first in order to understand the layout of the shunting yards before the day of the show, but he ended up on a ship to Africa instead, which drew so many of us into a tizzy - Percy, Annie and Clarabel especially.

I still took part in the Great Railway Show, however, but one of Canada's shunting engines had to take Thomas' place instead. But soon enough, we got the news as to where Thomas had ended up... I'm afraid you'll have to read the stories for yourself in case I end up spoiling them for you!

Emily.

* * *

**WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THOMAS?**

A whole week had gone by since Thomas had left Sodor for Canada by ship. In his absence, the work on the Ffarquhar branch line had gotten far busier, and it had gotten to the point that Stanley found himself on the branch line more often than in the shunting yards with Charlie and Stafford.

"I never realized how much work this would be without Stanley about," Charlie panted, having finished a long deal of shunting.

"You're telling me," agreed Stafford. "At this point, I'll need a portable charger with me while I'm working!"

"Why didn't Sir Topham Hatt bring another engine in to help us out?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I heard he was looking in to buy another engine for the mainline," said Stafford. "I think they come from the Southern Region on the mainland."

"Well, at least the _big_ engines get help," Charlie grumbled. "I wish Sir Topham Hatt had sent _me_ to the Great Railway Show instead."

"Maybe he thought you were too immature," Stafford muttered.

"I am _not_ immature!" pouted Charlie. He then shunted a line of trucks towards a siding, causing them to smash through a set of buffers.

"Er... whoops."

* * *

Over at the Ffarquhar branch line, Percy was collecting passengers with Annie and Clarabel.

"Phew," Percy sighed. "No sooner do I deliver one train of passengers when I have to take another one right out."

"We don't know whether we're coming or going," Annie grumbled.

"We feel so full! We feel so full!" added Clarabel.

"We need the help of another engine with the Ulfstead extension," sighed Percy. "I just hope Sir Topham Hatt will find another engine soon." At that moment, Toby and Henrietta had pulled in with a train of trucks from the quarry.

"I couldn't agree more," said Toby. "Henrietta and I have been working overtime to handle both the passengers and stones at the same time."

"I wish Daisy hadn't gone off to Harwick," Percy added.

"Well, at least she's been improving her behavior thanks to Ryan," Toby admitted.

"I'll believe it when I see it," scoffed Annie.

"Especially after that one winter we had to work with her," added Clarabel.

"That still did not excuse you two for scaring the daylights out of her," Henrietta scolded.

"Don't have to remind us," the two coaches groaned together. Just then, the guard blew her whistle.

"We must be off," Percy said, pulling out of the station.

"Take care," called Toby as he set off again with Henrietta.

* * *

Back at the yards, Sir Topham Hatt was scolding Charlie for his earlier incident.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," the controller sighed as the trucks were being put back onto the rails. "Charlie, I understand you're upset at not being invited to partake in the Great Railway Show, but I expect better behavior from you! Especially after a few days ago when you put fish trucks on the back of Gordon's express! I received countless complaints over the smell!"

"Gordon made fun of me!" Charlie insisted. "I also dealt with the fish trucks James left behind, like you said!"

"Yes, but I didn't mean for you to do so at the expense of another engine!" Sir Topham Hatt scolded. "What you did was just as bad as Thomas' accident with the coaches."

He was of course referring to the time where Thomas, instead of ignoring Gordon's teasing, retorted by attempting to steal the express coaches, only for it to backfire when they derailed, blocking the lines. Before Charlie could come up with a reply, the stationmaster came up to speak with Sir Topham Hatt.

"Pardon me, sir," he said, "but I'm afraid you're needed on the telephone; it's the head organizer for the Great Railway Show."

"Ohh, bother that telephone!" groaned Sir Topham Hatt. "I shall speak with you later, Charlie." And he hurried away to his office.

* * *

Once inside his office, he picked the phone up.

"Hello? This is Sir Topham Hatt speaking."

"_Ah, Sir Topham,_" a male Canadian voice spoke from the other end. "_You know that you were sending us one of your engines, Thomas, to partake in the Shunting Challenge for the Great Railway Show?_"

"Why, yes, of course," Sir Topham Hatt smiled. "I've also sent in another of my engines, Emily, to be decorated at the Steamworks for the Best Decorated Engine parade. Why do you ask?"

"_I'm sorry to tell you that your tank engine never arrived._"

Sir Topham Hatt was silent for a moment or two. This had to be some sort of joke.

"I-I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"_Thomas hasn't arrived on the ship._" No. It wasn't a joke.

"B-but I-I don't understand," stammered Sir Topham Hatt. "He was to depart from Brendam docks on _The Silver Moose_."

"The Silver Moose _did arrive, but it had no engine on it. My guess is that he got put on the wrong ship by mistake._"

"The wrong ship?" Sir Topham Hatt sighed before continuing. "I'll look into it as soon as possible," he said.

Sir Topham Hatt had left his office just as James pulled up to the station with a local train. The red engine noticed his controller's concerned expression.

"Is something the matter, sir?" he asked.

"Thomas never made it to Canada," explained Sir Topham Hatt. "He must have gotten on the wrong ship, and now he's missing."

"The wrong ship?!" gasped James. "Where could he have ended up?"

"That's what I'm about to find out," said Sir Topham Hatt.

* * *

Over at the Steamworks, Emily was having some final touches made for her Railway Show decorations.

"Doesn't this seem a bit much?" she asked.

"Nonsense, Emily," Victor chuckled. "They're sure to amaze the crowd at the Railway Show."

Before long, the job was finished. One of the workmen held up a mirror so Emily could see how she looked. She now had patterned trims of yellow and light green around her smokebox, funnel, and parts of her body. She looked simply magnificent.

"Oh wow!" Emily gasped. "I look so incredible!"

"I'm glad to hear that the workmen's effort has paid off," said Victor. "Though it may be a while before you're repainted back to your normal livery. But I trust people won't mind that."

"I just hope James doesn't accuse me of trying to 'steal his spotlight'," Emily chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, down at Brendam docks, Sir Topham Hatt was speaking to the dock manager.

"What ship did you load Thomas onto?" he demanded.

"I loaded him onto _The Jade Python_," the dock manager admitted sheepishly. "I thought that was headed to Canada and I didn't see the mistake until too late."

"Why weren't you paying attention?" Sir Topham Hatt asked in annoyance.

"I was working late last night so I didn't get much sleep," the dock manager explained. Sir Topham Hatt just sighed and shook his head.

"Dear, oh dear," he sighed. "What am I to do now? Where was _The Jade Python_ going?"

"Dakar, Senegal," the dock manager explained. "Are you going there to find him?"

"I wish I could," sighed Sir Topham Hatt. "But I have a railway to run, and I need to attend the Great Railway Show in Canada. Poor Thomas will have to wait." He then left the office without another word.

* * *

Later that evening, several engines were gathered around Tidmouth Sheds. Emily's decorated look had brought up quite the conversation; only James stayed silent. Whilst he liked Emily's decorations for the Great Railway Show, he hadn't spoken much since he'd been told that Thomas had ended up on the wrong ship. Where exactly, James didn't know, but the engines were soon about to find out.

Sir Topham Hatt drove up in Winston. Unlike previous times in which he would jerk the inspection trolley about to a stop, to Winston's relief, his driver had brought him to a gentle stop.

"As you all know," Sir Topham Hatt announced, "Thomas was supposed to be sent to Canada by ship to partake in the Shunting Challenge for the Great Railway Show. Unfortunately, due to a mix up at the docks, he accidentally was loaded onto a ship bound for Africa."

The engines gasped; even Diesel was horrified by what he had heard.

"Should we go looking for him?" asked Percy. "What if he's ended up in danger, like fallen into the ocean, got lost in a mine, stuck amongst some trees, or maybe even in outer space-?!"

"Percy!" said Sir Topham Hatt firmly. The little green engine stopped panicking and looked at his controller. Sir Topham Hatt sighed before continuing.

"I can't afford to have another engine go missing," he said gently. "I need an engine to run the branch line in Thomas' absence."

"How will we be able to find Thomas?" asked Edward. The old blue was usually stoic under stressful times, but this was a situation that even he couldn't look at with a brave face. For as long as he'd known Thomas, Edward acted almost like a father figure to him.

"I shall be offering a reward to anyone who can find Thomas and bring him back to safety," said Sir Topham Hatt. "With the summer season coming up after the Great Railway Show, we'll have to do our best until then." With that, Sir Topham Hatt drove away.

"I hope Thomas will be alright," Emily sighed.

"So do I," agreed Percy.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, here we are! The first chapter of the second book of the saga! This is essentially the Sodor engines' perspective as to what was going on in Thomas' absence, as well as the beginning of Emily partaking in the Great Railway Show in Canada. As it turns out, Thomas wasn't the only engine who noticed his branch line getting busier - Percy and Toby are feeling the strain as well, with Thomas' absence making it more noticeable. As for Emily's appearance for the show, it's the same as featured in The Great Race, which will get a rewrite one of these days.

But who will be taking Thomas' place in the Shunting Challenge? Find out next chapter when we see the engines coping under _A Desperate Time_!


	6. A Desperate Time

**A DESPERATE TIME**

That evening, Edward had joined Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Emily at Tidmouth Sheds. It was only for the evening, but Edward was sure that Philip would be okay spending the night with Toby at Wellsworth; after all, the five engines needed his support during a distressful time, and he needed theirs as well. Thomas was missing, and goodness knows what could happen to him if he wasn't found.

"Why must something always go wrong on this railway?" James grumbled. "First Thomas gets sent to Harwick and ends up with a pirate chase, then Henry and I nearly get trapped in a Steelworks on the mainland, and now this!"

"All things happen for a reason," Edward insisted. "If Thomas had not been sent to work on the new branch line, the pirate ship and the treasure would never have been discovered, Sailor John never would have gone to prison, and Skiff would still be working for him. And if you and Henry not had your misadventure on the mainland, Frankie would still be tricking engines into staying at the Steelworks with her, Beresford would still be bothering engines out of loneliness, and the experimental trio wouldn't have a home of their own. Sure, bad things do happen involving us, but something good always turns out in the end."

"He does have a point," Henry agreed.

"But that was within Sodor and the mainland," Gordon argued. "Thomas is miles away in Africa, a continent that's mostly sandy desert and wild life."

"That's not all Africa is known for," muttered Edward. Emily noticed that Percy was looking anxious, more so than usual.

"Are you okay, Percy?" she asked.

"What if Thomas never comes back?" Percy asked. "What if he gets stolen while in Africa, and broken down to be sold?"

"I'm sure Thomas won't be broken down," Emily insisted gently. "There are probably some nice people in Africa who will help him out."

But Percy wasn't convinced; before anymore could be said, he raced out of the sheds.

"Percy, where are you going?" called Henry. But the little green engine didn't reply.

* * *

At the carriage sheds, Annie and Clarabel were fast asleep. They were suddenly woken by a shrill whistle.

"What on earth is going on?" demanded Annie.

"I was having such a nice dream too," yawned Clarabel. The whistle was coming from none other than Percy.

"Annie, Clarabel!" he cried. "We have to find Thomas! He might be in trouble!"

"Thomas in trouble?!" the coaches gasped.

"He's ended up in Africa," Percy explained, "and we have to find him and bring him back to Sodor!"

Normally, Annie and Clarabel would've brushed off Percy's plan as a foolish one, but the thought of their engine being in danger kept them from thinking clearly.

"How are we supposed to get to Africa?" Clarabel asked.

"We don't know the way," Annie insisted.

"We go the same way Thomas did," said Percy. "By ship from Brendam Docks!" Percy coupled up to the coaches and was just pulling out when...

"Hold it right there!" Percy stopped and looked over to who had called out to him. It was Toby. He was just dropping Henrietta off at the sheds after taking the workmen home from a night shift at the quarry.

"Toby, we have to rescue Thomas!" Percy insisted. "He's lost in Africa!"

The tram engine raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Percy?"

"Of course I'm sure," Percy insisted. "Friends are supposed to help each other."

"But what about the branch line?" asked Toby. "Henrietta and I can't manage everything by ourselves, and we're struggling enough in Thomas' absence as it is. Besides, is it worth risking yourself, Annie and Clarabel getting lost as well?"

Percy didn't say anything at first; Toby's words had sunk in quite deep.

"I... I didn't think about that." After uncoupling from Annie and Clarabel, Percy puffed back to his shed. The two coaches were disappointed as well.

"Sorry if you two got your hopes up," Toby apologized.

"We get how you're feeling," added Henrietta. "If Toby got into trouble, I don't know what I'd do either."

"You're right, Henrietta," Annie admitted.

"We'll try to get back to sleep," Clarabel added. With that, the coaches went back to sleep.

* * *

A few days later, it was time for Emily to depart for Canada, but she wasn't alone. Glynn the coffee pot engine had been loaned by the Earl of Sodor, Sir Robert Norramby, to lead the Best Decorated Engine parade along with an open-topped carriage to carry a brass band in.

"This is quite exciting," Glynn proclaimed. "I can't remember the last time I got to lead such a special event as this."

"Just be careful on your surroundings," Emily suggested. "Canada's much different from Sodor."

"There are many places around the world that are even _bigger_," Glynn insisted.

"I wonder why the ship hasn't left yet," Emily wondered. Her answer came with the sound of more whistles. She was surprised to see Spencer and Caitlin pull into the docks, as well as an unfamiliar engine with four wheels painted in blue and yellow.

"Spencer? Caitlin?" Emily asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?" She then looked back to the unfamiliar engine. "And who's that?"

"I'm Logan," said the blue and yellow engine. "Nice to meet you."

"We're partaking in the Great Railway Show as well," explained Caitlin. "Spencer and I are competing in the Great Race."

"But what is Logan doing here?" Emily asked.

"I'm filling in for Thomas at the Shunting Competition," Logan explained.

"We heard about what had happened with Thomas getting lost," said Caitlin. "How are you taking it?"

"I'm being brave as I can," Emily insisted. "Poor Percy was real upset and even tried to take off to Africa with Annie and Clarabel to find Thomas. Thank goodness Toby talked him out of it."

"Indeed," said Spencer. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing when Thomas got lost." He sighed and looked down at his buffers. "He was one of the first to forgive my actions when I tried to get Hiro scrapped..."

Before long, the three engines were loaded onto the ship with Emily and Glynn. Emily was happy not to be going alone, but she was still worried about Thomas.

"I hope you're alright, Thomas," she muttered quietly. Just then, a horn sounded out, and the ship pulled out of the docks towards Canada.

* * *

Meanwhile, Henry was delivering a goods train to Vicarstown station. Rosie was nearby, shunting in the yards.

"Hello, Rosie," Henry called over to her. "How are you settling in at Vicarstown?"

"I've been doing fine since I was transferred here," said Rosie. "Dennis is fine company, but I do miss working on Thomas' branch line whenever I was needed."

"I'm glad to hear," Henry said. "I've been alright as well. Though to be honest, sometimes I wish I didn't have to go all the way back to Tidmouth sheds once I finished my Flying Kipper routes."

"It must be rather tiring having to make a long distance back just to get some sleep," said Rosie. "Why don't you ask Sir Topham Hatt if you could transfer to a new shed? That way, once you're done pulling the Flying Kipper, you can instantly get some sleep."

"Hmm," said Henry. "I'll have to think about that. I could probably give it a try before making a decision." Henry puffed away and left his goods train for Rosie to rearrange in the sidings.

* * *

A while later, Henry was returning to Knapford station when he saw Sir Topham Hatt standing on the platform.

"Hello, sir," Henry greeted. "What are you up to right now?"

"Well, Henry," Sir Topham Hatt explained, "the sheds at Harwick are in need of a little touching up. That means Ryan and Daisy will need a place to stay until it's finished."

"Why don't they stay at Tidmouth sheds?" Henry suggested. "Ryan can take Thomas's berth, and Daisy can borrow mine."

"But where will _you_ sleep?" Sir Topham Hatt asked.

"Perhaps I could spend the night at Vicarstown," Henry suggested.

"Very well then," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I'll go tell Ryan and Daisy the news."

* * *

That night, Henry rolled into Vicarstown sheds.

"Oh hello, Henry," Rosie greeted. "I see Sir Topham Hatt's letting you spend the night."

"Just as long as you don't make any noise while I'm trying to sleep," grunted Dennis.

"Oh, it's not like you don't snore loudly at night," Rosie smirked. The gray diesel just rolled his eyes.

"I'll try to be quiet," Henry promised.

"Don't take Dennis seriously," Rosie insisted. "He's just a fusspot."

"I'm right next to you, you know!" the gray diesel retorted. "How am I expected to work hard if I don't get my beauty sleep?"

"By 'work hard', you mean dawdle about in the yards all day," Henry chuckled. Dennis' protests were drowned out by the laughter of the two steam engines.

"Is it any wonder I was sent up to work the yards?" Rosie giggled.

"Things have been a lot tidier here since you were transferred," said Henry. "I don't know what we'd do without you here."

"Thanks, Henry," smiled Rosie. "I do my best. I'm glad I have someone new to talk with at night."

"We don't know if it's a permanent change yet, Rosie," Henry told her. "I mean, with Thomas missing and all, it's shaken up everybody."

"I do hope he's found soon," sighed Rosie. "He could be alone and frightened."

"Reminds me of when James got trapped in that Steelworks," Henry added.

Before long, the engines drifted off to sleep. They had a big day ahead of them. All the same, Henry had had thoughts about transferring to Vicarstown in the near future... but that's another story.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Now that the engines have heard about Thomas' sudden disappearance (if you haven't, I recommend starting from the start to see how we got to this point), things aren't looking too good for them at the moment. That doesn't stop Emily from partaking in the Great Railway Show in Canada along with Glynn (to lead the Best Decorated Engine Parade), Spencer, Caitlin (both for the Great Race) and the merchandise-exclusive character Logan (replacing Thomas for the Shunting Challenge). Not only that, we're given a proper explanation as to why Henry eventually ends up sleeping at Vicarstown once Thomas returns to Sodor. I felt the sheds there were a bit-underpopulated and so I brought in Dennis to sleep alongside Henry and Rosie there. (By the way, Norman's redundant; Dennis is more interesting to work with.) And yes, I do plan a future rewrite of _Journey Beyond Sodor_ alongside a rewrite of _The Great Race_ in the future. Just don't ask me when, because I don't know.

Next time, we see Emily and Glynn partake in _The Best Decorated Engine Parade_!


	7. The Best Decorated Engine Parade

**THE BEST DECORATED ENGINE PARADE**

A whole week had gone by since Emily, Glynn, Spencer, Logan and Caitlin had departed for Canada, but at long last, they had arrived at the Port of Montreal, close to where the Great Railway Show would be taking place in a couple of days. By then, Sir Topham Hatt would have arrived by plane from the Sodor Airport.

"Well, here we are," said Emily. "This is the place."

"Oh wow!" Caitlin gasped in excitement. "Look at this place!"

"I wonder who we're going to meet while we're here," said Glynn curiously.

"I'm not sure," said Caitlin, "but let's go and investigate... after we get checked in, of course."

Once the engines were unloaded and fired up (minus Glynn, who was to be transported to the show by truck), they set off.

* * *

At long last, they had arrived on the grounds of the Great Railway Show.

"So, Logan," said Emily, "you've ever done the Shunting Challenge before?"

"Nah," said Logan. "It's the first time I've partaken in one."

"I'm sure you'll do well," said Spencer. "Though the other shunters have gotten a head start in learning the course."

"That's what concerns me," Logan admitted. "I was sent up here at the last minute. I'm not sure if I'll do well at all."

"Just do the best you can," assured Caitlin. "Even if you don't win, at least you'll have tried."

"Thank you, Caitlin," smiled Logan. "I'm sorry you're the only competitor from Sodor now, Emily."

"It would have been nice to have Thomas here with me again," Emily sighed. "But I promised I'd do my best for him here now."

"And that's also what I encourage you all to do," said a voice. The engines glanced back to see Sir Topham Hatt approaching them.

"Oh, good timing, sir," said Glynn. "We just got checked in."

"That's good to hear, Glynn," Sir Topham Hatt nodded, "and I'm glad to hear you all got here safely. I wish I could say the same for Thomas..."

"We all do, sir," said Logan. "I hope he's safe." Just then, the announcement came on the loudspeaker.

"_All participants in the Great Railway Show, please proceed to see your designated locations._"

"We'd better get ready then," said Emily. "Good luck, everyone."

"I'd better get unloaded too," said Glynn, laughing. "It'd be pointless if I was leading the parade on a lorry."

"Truck, Glynn," corrected Caitlin. "In North America, what you refer to as lorries, we call trucks."

* * *

As soon as the old coffee pot engine was unloaded, he and Emily went to where the competitors for the Best Dressed Engine Parade were resting.

"Bust my buffers!" cried Emily. "Gator, is that you?"

"Why, Emily, I haven't seen you in ages," gasped Gator. "It's great to see you here today. How're Percy and Toad?"

"Percy's been doing great since your visit to Sodor," said Emily. "Toad's been working well with Oliver too."

"Though he did have a bit of a scare," Glynn confessed. "Before we left for Canada, we found out Thomas went missing."

"Not Thomas," gasped Yong Bao, remembering him (and Emily) from when he and several other participants ended up on Sodor by mistake on the way to the Great Railway Show in England a couple of years ago. "What happened, is he okay?"

"He ended up in Africa," Emily explained. "We don't know exactly whereabouts."

"I don't think anyone's from Africa here," said Rajiv; he was another face from the engines that Emily recognized from the accidental visit to Sodor, as well as James' rival from the previous show.

"Ah don't know of this Thomas character, but Ah hope that the little feller's located soon," said another engine. This last engine was one that was unfamiliar to Emily; he was an American 4-4-0 tender engine with a cowcatcher in front, an oddly-shaped funnel, a large headlamp, a bell near the front of his boiler, and a thick white mustache.

"Who are you?" asked Emily.

"Beau is mah name, and minin's mah game!" the American engine said proudly. "Ah was one of many locomotives to help in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad! Not ta boast or anything," he added with a chuckle.

"So _you_ say," Rajiv snorted. "You're probably a replica told to act like you were in the 19th century."

"Hogwash!" snorted Beau. "There's a photograph of me at the openin' ceremony of the Railroad with good ol' President Ulysses S. Grant! What more evidence do ya need?"

"Do these two always argue like this?" asked Glynn.

"This is actually the first show which they've interacted with each other," Yong Bao explained. "I think it's only now that Beau's participated."

"It's mine and Emily's first time too," Glynn explained. "Though I'm not competing, per say; just leading the parade."

"I bet you'll have a bit of fun with that," smiled Gator.

"_Attention, Best Dressed Engine contestants,_" came the loudspeaker. "_It is time for the parade to start. Please get in line._"

* * *

It wasn't long before the engines were lined up; Glynn was leading with the brass band in one of the Ulfstead Estate Railway coaches in too. The first of the contestants was Beau, followed by Rajiv, then Gator, then Yong Bao, and finally Emily bringing up the rear.

"Good day, everyone," said the first announcer. "Today, we have a lovely arrangement of engines from all over the world decorated for your entertainment."

"And I'm sure the engines are just as entertained as us, Giles," the second one smiled.

"Well, Melissa, they should be," said Giles. "Leading this pack, from the Island of Sodor is Glynn, the former number one engine for the North Western Railway."

"Is that a vertical-boiler engine he is, Giles?" asked Melissa.

"Indeed he is, Melissa. Those are hard to find these days. Glynn was built long before the North Western Railway came to fruition by the original Sir Topham Hatt."

"Well, Giles, our first contestant comes from the American State of Arizona, Beau!"

Beau's smile broadened when he heard his name being called. "Ah never get this much attention down at the mines," he said to himself.

"Just look at those red, white and blue banners along his boiler, cab and tender," remarked Melissa. "That's the true mark of American patriotism."

"Indeed," nodded Giles. "Too bad it's not Independence Day; then there would be flags everywhere with those same colors."

"Next up in the parade is the twelve-time champion from India, Rajiv!" announced Melissa.

"Ah yes, it is another parade in the spotlight for me," Rajiv grinned to himself.

"Do you suppose he'll win again, Melissa?" asked Giles.

"Well, his class is a sight to behold," Melissa noted. "It's no wonder they call him the Fairy Prince of India. I heard he's planning for a streak of a baker's dozen - thirteen wins, for those who don't know."

"But the parade isn't done yet, Melissa," Giles continued. "Next we have Gerald, or he prefers to be called Gator, coming from the lands of Colombia."

"Looks like an alligator, doesn't he?" remarked Melissa. "He's even dressed up like he lives in the jungle."

Gator chuckled at this remark. "At least I'm not wondering around at night and accidentally scaring others." He didn't notice the judges looking at him and then at each other with unimpressed expressions.

"Next up, it's Yong Bao from China!" announced Giles. "Wow! Just look at that handsome tiger on his tender!"

"And that striking livery of red, green and yellow," added Melissa. "They're China's luckiest colors, after all."

"Let's hope that luck will be on my side this time," Yong Bao said to himself. "But hey, it's all in good fun."

"Did you know, Melissa," said Giles, "that many years ago, he saved hundreds of passengers from a bad accident?"

"Oh, really?" gasped Melissa. "That is quite impressive."

"That's how he ended up with his current appearance," added Giles.

"Don't look away, Giles, because we're about to introduce our final contestant - Emily of Sodor!"

"This is quite fun," Emily mused to herself. She could see people along both sides admiring her beauty, and she couldn't help but smile at everyone as she went along.

"Is she a Stirling Single?" gasped Giles. "I thought there was only one left."

"She was saved from scrap years ago and brought to Sodor, Giles," explained Melissa, "and now she works on the main line for the North Western Railway as well as the odd branch line service."

"The North Western Railway has a good habit of saving steam engines like that, don't they?" smiled Giles.

"That they do indeed," said Melissa. The judges were amazed when they saw Emily; never had they seen an engine like her up close and in action before. The question now was, who was going to win for Best Decorated Engine?

* * *

At last, the parade had ended, and all five contestants were lined up. Rajiv was feeling rather confident in himself.

"I bet it's me who takes home the crown, again," Rajiv boasted.

"Oh, I don't know," said Glynn. "I think the others put up a good fight."

"Please," said Rajiv. "What could they have that I don't?"

"Humility, for one thing?" suggested Yong Bao innocently. Before anyone could reply to that, the head judge spoke up.

"_We have calculated the results,_" the judge called from the loudspeaker, "_and we'll go from last to first. In fifth place, Gator of Colombia. His jungle look was... interesting, but it wasn't exactly what this show was going for._"

"Oh..." Gator was a little disappointed, but more or less shrugged it off. "Better luck next time, as they say."

"_In fourth place, Beau from the United States of America,_" the head judge continued. "_His pride for his home is undeniable, and that is a major plus in our books._"

"Oh, why thank you," Beau smiled to himself.

"_In third place, Yong Bao of China,_" the head judge continued. "_His choice of colors is very striking, and his tiger gives him a sense of strength and power._"

"Oh, why thank you," smiled Yong Bao. "I've always liked tigers."

"_Now we come to second and first place..._" The head judge paused for effect. "_And this, I tell you, was a very tough call._"

Rajiv stared blankly, while Glynn gave a wink to Emily, knowing it was down to just these two engines. Emily, however, wasn't concerned about winning; she was perfectly content with second place, after all. It was all in the name of fun.

"_It took a lot of deliberating as to who would make first place,_" said the head judge, "_but after a while, we finally decided upon our winner..._"

"It's going to be me again..." Rajiv chuckled eagerly.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, our winner for the Best Decorated Engine is..._"

"Oh, thank you, thank you," grinned Rajiv. "No need to throw flowers my way-"

"_EMILY OF SODOR!_"

Rajiv just stared in absolute shock, unable to say a word. Emily, however, looked on with amazement; she didn't know what to say either.

"Well done, Emily!" cried Glynn. "I knew you could do it."

"I-I didn't think I could," Emily chuckled, before looking over at Rajiv, still in shock over the fact that his chances of a baker's dozen streak had been ruined. "You're not too upset over me beating you, are you?" she asked sincerely.

"Second place... is _perfectly respectable_..." said Rajiv, forcing a smile.

"Wait until everyone on Sodor hears about your win," Glynn grinned. "I bet they will be proud."

In the crowds, Sir Topham Hatt was cheering wildly for Emily's victory. The other controllers looked at him with baffled expressions, and noticing that he was being looked at, Sir Topham Hatt quickly regained composure and sat down. But just as he did so, he was told by his assistant that a message had been sent to him. Emily didn't notice Sir Topham Hatt leaving as she was talking to the other contestants.

"You really look amazing, Emily," said Yong Bao. "Do you wear those colors all the time?"

"Oh, I'm usually just emerald green, Yong Bao," Emily explained. "Everything else is just for this show."

"Ah'll bet that's a sight ta behold too," Beau chipped in eagerly.

"Oh, it is," smiled Gator. "I've seen her in her normal colors while visiting the island. She may have won this with her normal colors too."

"Not with a minimalist paint job like that James did," Rajiv muttered, but no one bothered to listen to him.

"Oh, it has been a lot of fun," said Emily. "But I wonder how my friends back home are doing. And there's still no indication of Thomas."

* * *

Back on the Island of Sodor, the engines were doing the best they could to keep up with the workload. Henry had just come in with a passenger run to Crovan's Gate where Sir Handel was waiting with the connecting train.

"Good day, Sir Handel," Henry greeted. "How have you been coping today?"

"It's been most unusual around here lately," complained Sir Handel. "Now that Mr. Percival's looking after your railway whilst your controller's gallivanting off to Canada, we're being looked after by the Earl of Sodor."

"Oh, that's not a bad thing, is it?" asked Henry. "I mean, he is Duke's Grace after all..."

"That's what I'm wondering!" said Sir Handel crossly. "In all the stories Duke told Peter Sam and I back on our old line - and believe me, we got told more times either of us can recall - he's never mentioned him to be this eccentric."

"Well..." Henry hesitated for a moment, knowing that this subject would be very touchy. "Just... how long did you and Peter Sam not speak up about Duke?"

Sir Handel nearly felt his firebox go cold with that question. Even though Duke had seemed fine when he had reunited with him and Peter Sam, the younger engines were still haunted with the memories of wishing to say something, but they didn't right off the bat.

"Er... I think it was... a couple of years since Peter Sam and I arrived here," he admitted. "That's not counting our years at the aluminium works," he added, remembering every time he and Peter Sam - Falcon and Stuart, respectively, at the time, were shot down at the slightest mention to the manager they had there.

"I see," said Henry quietly. "Then again, it's probably a different person who's the Earl now. Or maybe his travels changed him. Who knows."

"It'd better be the latter," Sir Handel sighed, trying to push his grief to the back of his mind. "But regardless, I guess having the Earl in charge here and Mr. Percival in charge of your railway is better than putting Dowager Hatt in charge of your railway."

The two engines chuckled a bit, before Sir Handel remembered something else.

"Any word on Thomas' whereabouts?" he asked.

"Not yet," Henry sighed. "We're all getting very worried. He could be anywhere in Africa, and it's not like we can just cross to the mainland to look for him. That only covers England, Scotland, Wales, areas like that."

"I'm sure Thomas will be found soon," said Sir Handel. "Like how the rescue team looking for Duke didn't give up, the people searching for Thomas won't either."

"Let's hope so too," said Henry, upon hearing the sound of the guard's whistle. Both engines whistled goodbye to each other, Sir Handel's words leaving Henry with a newfound sense of hope.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

James (who helped to co-write the saga thus far with me) and I struggled just to get this chapter off the ground, but luckily, Rachel was there to help us out. For the contestants, I wanted to see how many pre-existing characters I could use, most of which were already in CGI; that was why I included Gator and Beau for the Best Decorated Engine Parade. Speaking of the latter, my take on Beau is that he works in the mines of Arizona per the original movie, and he even claims that he witnessed the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s. However much of his claims hold water, of course, is highly questionable, as if he was around back then, would he have been the same engine he was in the 1860s. Kind of like the Theseus' ship paradox, but in locomotive form. Whether or not Beau is an actual Jupiter or a replica, he still often waxes poetic about the good old days; most engines dismiss him as an eccentric, senile kook. We even included a final scene set on Sodor, even providing an explanation as to who runs the Skarloey Railway whilst Mr. Percival manages the North Western; Sir Robert Norramby himself. With Duke himself having yet to appear in CGI, it'd be safe to say that Sir Handel has mellowed out since season four, and it's one of the few times he gives genuine advice that doesn't come from nowhere.

This was going to be one whole chapter, but it went on a bit too long and so it was split into two chapters instead. Next time, we'll be seeing the remaining three events, focusing on _Shunting, Strength and Speed_!


	8. Shunting, Strength and Speed

**SHUNTING, STRENGTH AND SPEED**

Back in Canada, it was time for the Shunting Challenge to begin. With the Best Decorated Engine Parade now behind, Emily, Glynn and Yong Bao stood to the sides so they could see the Shunting Challenge in action.

"Hong-Mei will be representing China for the challenge," Yong Bao explained to them.

"Is she friendly?" asked Emily.

"Well, at her best, she's very hard-working and dedicated," said Yong Bao. "But she can be very competitive."

The first contestant in the Shunting Competition was a Russian diesel named Ivan. He was among the engines Emily recognized from when the international engines accidentally visited Sodor.

"_Here comes Russia's funny-diesel, Ivan, outta the gate!_" declared the announcer in an Australian accent. "_He had a rather underwhelming performance the last time he partook in the Shunting Challenge, but here's hoping he can make up for it!_"

The event standard was to arrange three box cars (or vans), three tankers and three flatcars (or flatbeds), before finishing off with a caboose (or brake van) for a total consist of ten in the quickest amount of time. The wagons were always arranged by diesel shunters in a random order so no contestant would have the same strategy. Any missed rolling stock would result in a time penalty.

Every time Ivan needed the points changed so he could access another wagon, he would toot his horn, and the signalmen would respond. After a while, Ivan had finally arranged his trains.

"_And... time!_" the announcer declared. "_Ivan has completed his run in a fairly quick time. While it won't beat the previous record set by Percy of Sodor from the last show, it's still a good enough bar to hold up to._"

The audience cheered; the Russian diesel smiled.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself," he said to the other contestants. "Good luck to you all!"

"Oh, I don't think I'll need it when it's my go," a blue Chinese tank engine smirked. The next contestant was Gina from Italy, another contestant Emily was familiar with.

"I hope she'll do better than last time," she said to herself. "She really messed up towards the end."

But Emily needn't have worried too much; Gina was quick for an engine of her size, and she had managed to beat out Ivan's time by less than half a minute.

"_Isn't that amazing?_" cried the announcer. "_Gina, the beauty from Italy, has managed to beat out Ivan's time by about twenty seconds! It's going to take a really fast performance to try and beat that!_"

"Oh, grazie, grazie," the Italian engine smiled at the cheering crowd. She smiled at the next two competitors - Logan being one of them - but she glanced a quick scowl at the blue Chinese tank engine.

"_Our next contestant is Natalie from the United States of America!_" said the announcer. "_She's a mighty little shunting engine from good ol' sunny San Fran from the state of California! How will she stack up against Ivan and Gina? Let's watch and find out, mates!_"

Unfortunately, Natalie's time wasn't as quick as Gina's or even Ivan's; although she had arranged all the wagons in the specified order, a slip up near the start of her run had crippled her chances of success.

"I can't believe I almost didn't blow my horn to set the points where I needed to go," she said to herself. "Oh well, there's always another year."

By now, Logan was feeling very anxious; Gina had set the bar pretty high, and Ivan and Natalie had done respectably despite the latter slipping up. How was he going to do well with no knowledge at all as to what the layout was like?

"Just treat it like it's a normal shunting yard," Natalie encouraged. "Pretend the crowd isn't there and you'll be okay."

"Th-thanks," said Logan, but he still felt nervous as he entered the arena.

"Alright, Logan!" cheered Emily from the sidelines.

"Go and show them what you can do!" added Glynn.

After nervously glancing around the yards, trying to figure out his strategy, the airhorn sounded, and Logan set off to arrange his trucks.

"_And he's off!_" shouted the announcer. "_There goes Logan of the United Kingdom about to shunt his first few bits of rolling stock!_"

"Whoo-hoo!" Emily whooped excitedly. "You got this, Logan!"

But I'm afraid he didn't; due to his unfamiliarity with the track arrangement, Logan ended up making a lot of mistakes. Any enthusiasm there was for him quickly turned into confusion.

"He's gone for the flatbeds instead of the tankers!" remarked Glynn.

"What are you doing, Logan?!" Emily cried in utter disbelief. This was perhaps the most shocking performance anyone had ever seen with arranging a train for the Shunting Challenge.

"_That's not going to be good for his time,_" remarked the announcer. "_He's trying to fix up his mistakes, but all it's doing is adding more to his time! He's done worse than Natalie already, and he hasn't even got half of his train done!_"

Gina, Ivan and Natalie all cringed with worry upon seeing Logan humiliate himself on the television screen installed so they could see him.

"What a fool," the Chinese tank engine said condescendingly. "If he can't arrange his trucks properly, then why did he come here at all?"

"Nobody's perfect, you know," insisted Natalie. "Everyone makes mistakes when competing."

The mistakes Logan made ended up getting worse as he continued. It got so painful to watch that he was quickly sent back to the competitor's corner with a DNF (did not finish).

"Poor Logan," sighed Glynn.

"Must have gotten stage fright," Emily insisted.

"_And now, for our final contestant,_" said the announcer, "_Hong-Mei of China!_"

As the Chinese tank engine smugly puffed out onto the arena, the other contestants tried to cheer up Logan for his failure.

"Don't feel too bad," Ivan insisted. "Nobody's perfect."

"There's always another year," added Gina. Before anyone realized it, Hong-Mei's trial had finished in a resounding success.

"I won!" she cried happily. "I won, I won!" Hong-Mei then decided to boast about her victory to the others.

"Oh no..." Gina groaned, knowing that she'd come in second place.

"Look at me!" she boasted. "I am the Shunting Queen of China!"

"Not quite," said Ivan. "You didn't exactly beat Percy's record, and he managed to beat Ashima's record from the last show, who beat Raul's own record in the same show."

"At least I did better than Logan," Hong-Mei snorted.

"Who cares who did better than who?" snapped Gina. "Do you know what your problem is, Hong-Mei?"

"What?"

"_Sei troppo competitivo per il tuo bene!_" Hong-Mei was quite confused by what the Italian shunter had just said.

* * *

Next up was the Strength Competition. Emily recognized two of the contestants; Freida of Germany and Shane of Australia. Of the remaining three, one was a blue tender engine with a light gray smokebox and red wheels of American origin and another was a red tender engine with a similar shape to Gordon and Flying Scotsman.

"That big blue electric engine is Gustavo," explained Gator. He too was watching the Strength Competition take place. "He's one of the strongest and fastest engines to run in Brazil; I've seen him a few times when he made his trips to Colombia."

"Who are the other two?" Emily asked.

"That's blue one with the cowcatcher is Hank from the American State of Pennsylvania," said Gator. "And the red one's Canada's very own Flying Thistle."

"It'll probably be interesting to let Gordon know that one other brother of his is still around," said Emily to herself.

As the Strength Competition went on, Gustavo had taken a huge lead, with Frieda coming in second, followed by Shane, then Hank, and Flying Thistle coming in last. The German engine was secretly impressed with the Brazilian engine's performance.

"At least he's not a cheater like Vinnie," she admitted.

At long last, Gustavo pulled his load over the finish line first. The crowd cheered even as Frieda came in second.

"A very impressive feat from you, _senorita_," Gustavo praised.

"Er, _danke_," Frieda said, a bit surprised that she would be congratulated even though she didn't win.

"Winning is not everything, after all," Gustavo continued. "All that truly matters is how you try your hardest and stay a good sport no matter the outcome."

"That's very inspirational words right there," Emily noted. "I just wish certain engines would take note of that..."

* * *

At last, it was time for the final event of the Great Railway Show; the Great Race. Emily, Glynn and several other contestants were lined up to see the race in action.

"_And now, ladies and gentlemen,_" a deep-voiced announcer called Charles proclaimed, "_here comes the moment you've been waiting for!_"

"_Yes, it's the Great Race, where five engines across the globe compete to take home the trophy!_" another announcer named Mark declared, this one with a higher voice than the previous.

"_Now let's get a look at the competitors,_" the third announcer, Daniel, added. His voice was more soft-spoken and mature compared to his more lively co-hosts. "_First up, we have France's most popular electric engine, Etienne. People love to see him and his rival from Belgium, Axel, get competitive with each other._"

"_Unfortunately,_" Charles cut in, "_Axel will be unable to compete this year due to him being in for an overhaul. Nevertheless, Etienne's still got steam powered competition with Spencer, representing the United Kingdom and my hometown of Doncaster._"

The crowd cheered for the silver engine.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," Spencer beamed at the crowd.

"_Next up in the lineup is the streamlined bombshell of Baltimore, Caitlin of the United States of America!_" announced Mark. "_I tell you, guys; American engines are the best!_"

The crowd cheered for Caitlin. The fuchsia engine just beamed with pride.

"_Our next contestant is from Canada itself,_" said Daniel. "_One of the finest Royal Hudsons to ever grace Canadian rails; introducing Mathias!_"

The engine in question was a semi-streamlined 4-6-4 tender engine painted black with a light gray boiler and a large burgundy red stripe running across his running board, cab and tender, as well as the number 2823. The crowd went wild.

"_And finally, we have one of India's finest passenger express diesels,_" said Charles. "_Give it up for Noor Jehan!_"

Despite his loss at the Best Decorated Engine Parade, Rajiv cheered the loudest for the white diesel. Noor Jehan, seeing this as a chance for a bit of fun, winked at Rajiv. At last, Charles stepped out with a starter pistol to begin the race.

"_And they're off!_" he declared as all five engines sped off down the racetrack. Etienne had taken the lead at first, but Spencer began to catch up. In his mind, losing to a French engine would be humiliating.

"_Etienne is in the lead,_" Mark stated, "_followed closely by Spencer, and here comes Caitlin!_"

"_She sure is an excitable one, isn't she?_" Daniel remarked.

"_Oh, you know it, Dan,_" said Mark. "_She's quite a popular choice among the fans._"

"_Don't count Mathias out yet, chaps,_" said Charles. "_Look at him go! He's catching up!_" True to his words, the Canadian engine was coming closer to Caitlin.

"_And Noor Jehan is having quite a bit of trouble tailing at the way back,_" Daniel remarked. True, the Indian diesel wasn't going as fast as Etienne or the steam engines, but she wasn't about to let that stop her.

At long last, the finish line appeared in the distance. Suddenly, Etienne found himself going slower.

"_Zut alors_!" he cried. "What iz happening?! I'm slowing down!" Etienne struggled on as best as he could, but he eventually ground to a halt just a few feet from the finish line.

"_This is unbelievable!_" gasped Mark. "_Etienne has stopped just before the finish line! This means that Spencer now has a chance to take home the gold!_"

"_Maybe not, Mark; because Spencer's slowed down as well!_" remarked Charles. "_And that means that Caitlin's gone across the line with Mathias shortly behind her!_"

And indeed it was true. With Spencer and Etienne stopped, Caitlin was able to take first place with Mathias in a close second, followed by Noor Jehan in third. Then, to everyone's surprise, Spencer slowly began to reverse to switch onto Etienne's line.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Etienne asked, not expecting help from a racing opponent.

"Helping you finish the race," said Spencer simply. "We Englishmen might have issues with your culture, but I wouldn't want you to return to your country coming in last place."

Etienne smiled at this. Despite his attitude, Spencer was a gentleman at heart.

* * *

Emily, Hong-Mei, Gustavo and Caitlin were all lined up side by side for the award's ceremony.

"Well, this has been quite an exciting day," said the head organizer for the Great Railway Show. "But after so many events, it's time to present awards to the winners of this year's Great Railway Show! First, to the winner of the Best Decorated Engine Parade - Emily of Sodor!" Emily beamed as an announcer placed a trophy on her buffer beam.

"Second, to the winner of the Shunting Competition - Hong Mei of China!" Hong-Mei whooped with excitement as her trophy came up.

"I'm number one! I'm number one!" she gloated. The other winners rolled their eyes at the Chinese engine's bragging.

"Next," the head organizer continued, "for winning the Strength Competition - Gustavo of Brazil!" A trophy was placed on the running board of the big electric engine.

"And last but not least, to the winner of the Great Race - Caitlin of America!" The streamlined engine cheered happily as she was given her trophy. Once all the trophies had been given out, a photograph of the winners was taken.

* * *

As the engines were getting ready to go to their respective homes, Sir Topham Hatt strolled up.

"Fantastic work, you two," he congratulated Emily and Caitlin. "And to Spencer as well for his display of good sportsmanship."

"How did Etienne end up losing his power?" asked Caitlin.

"As it turns out," Sir Topham Hatt explained, "a lorry... er, sorry, _truck_ \- I can't get used to American terminology - lost control and crashed into one of the electric towers."

"Ooh," said Emily, wincing slightly. "If not for that mishap, Etienne could've easily won."

"Indeed," Sir Topham Hatt stated. "Nevertheless, I've found out where Thomas is."

"You have?" asked Emily, surprised. "Where is he?"

"In Tanzania, Africa," explained Sir Topham Hatt. "I shall be taking a plane there straight away."

"How long will it be before Thomas returns home?" asked Emily.

"I'm not sure," said Sir Topham Hatt, "but Mr. Percival's informed me that a ship has been sent down to Tanzania so Thomas can return to Sodor."

"Well, that's good news," said Caitlin. Soon, she, Emily, Spencer, Logan and Glynn were loaded onto their ship bound for Sodor. As they sailed home, Emily couldn't help but feel a bit happier.

"At least now I know Thomas is safe," she said to herself.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Wow, there's quite a lot to unpack there! This chapter itself was the main reason this and "The Best Decorated Engine Parade" got split up into two, extending this book into five chapters as opposed to the traditional four. Out of the three events, my favorite to flesh out was the Shunting Challenge, which has become a time trial rather than an accident waiting to happen, inspired from Chase the Ferroequinologist and DonaldDouglasandToby6's collaborative rewrite of _The Great Race_ (don't worry, I'll do my own version one day). For my personal take on said special, Percy actually takes part in Thomas' place, having beat out Ashima's time, who had beaten Raul's time, severely denting the Brazilian engine's ego. That's where Hong-Mei comes in, wanting to beat Percy's record and become the greatest shunting engine in the world, which will serve as the main conflict for a future book. I even incorporated Gina's "won't take anyone's nonsense" personality from season 23 with how she feels towards Hong-Mei, even saying that she's too competitive for her own good.

Don't have much to add for the Strength Competition, though; I was going to use merchandise-only character Sam in Hank's place, but I thought that the articulated engine would be a bit overpowered, so I used Hank instead. (For the record, _Heave Ho Thomas!_ did not happen in my universe.) I even included Flying Thistle from the magazines to complete the set of five; I see him being a recolor of Scotsman but crimson with yellow lining, one tender, no smoke deflectors and the number 1992. The only OC to be featured here is Mathias, the Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson. I didn't give him much in terms of character as most of the focus went into the Sodor/mainland engines, particularly Spencer. I figured him helping Etienne after he ran out of power would show some growth in his character following _Look for the Light_ in Seasons 13-16 Redux, which I'll resume one day. Lastly, there's the hosts for the Great Race, whom I based off of the _Top Gear_/_Grand Tour_ trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May; it feels like it was made with the trio in mind to host.

Next time, the final story of the second book, in which we say _Welcome Home, Thomas and Nia_!


	9. Welcome Home, Thomas and Nia

**WELCOME HOME, THOMAS AND NIA**

Before he could return to Sodor with Emily, Glynn, Spencer, Caitlin and Logan, Sir Topham Hatt knew that he had to take a flight to Tanzania to make sure that Thomas was safe. He had just boarded a plane bound for Tanzania.

"I hope Thomas is safe," he said to himself. "If anyone tries to harm one buffer on him, I'll make them sorry!"

* * *

A little over a week later, Emily, Spencer, Caitlin, Glynn and Logan had finally returned to Sodor by ship.

"Home sweet home at last," sighed Glynn, taking a deep breath of fresh Sudrian air.

"Welcome home, me hearties!" called Salty.

"How was the show, guys?" asked Porter.

"It was enjoyable," said Emily. "I won the Best Decorated Engine Parade while Caitlin won the Great Race."

"I flunked the Shunting Challenge," Logan mumbled sadly.

"Well, the important thing is that you tried," Porter insisted.

"I doubt I'll even come to another Great Railway Show after that performance," sighed Logan.

"Don't feel bad, Logan," said Caitlin. "It happens to even the best of us." Logan felt a bit better.

"I suppose we had all go back to work now," Spencer insisted.

"Oh, but don't forget about the party at Ulfstead Castle!" said Caitlin. "I heard that one will be held there to celebrate mine and Emily's victories!"

* * *

That night, there was quite the chatter and excitement at Ulfstead Castle. Emily and Caitlin were the engines of the hour.

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" the crowd chanted.

"Alright, alright!" Mr. Percival called over the sounds of the cheers. Once the cheers died down, he cleared his throat. "Tonight, we hold this party as congratulations to two of our winners at the Great Railway Show - Emily and Caitlin!"

A cheer went up for the two winners, and Emily and Caitlin blushed with modesty.

"To celebrate your achievements," continued Mr. Percival, "there will be special trains being pulled for the next couple of weeks."

"That sounds like fun," Caitlin smiled, looking over at Emily.

"It does indeed," agreed Emily.

"You both have earned this," smiled Mr. Percival. "And I've also heard positive things from the other competitors."

"That's very true, sir," Caitlin smiled. "Spencer helped another competitor over the finish line in the Great Race."

"He did?" gasped Mr. Percival. "What exactly happened?"

"There was an electric engine we were racing against," Caitlin explained, "but his power source went haywire and he couldn't move. Spencer then changed tracks and helped him over the finish line."

"Spencer did that?" gasped Henry.

"He turned down the chance to come out on top?" gasped Gordon. "That is so out-of-character for him."

"I didn't think he had it in him," Percy agreed.

"I suppose he has come a long way since he almost had Hiro sent away," Edward noted.

"I guess Thomas was right about him being regretful for his actions," said Toby.

"Oh, thanks for the reminder, Toby," Emily perked up. "Thomas was found in Tanzania, Africa."

"He was?!" Percy gasped. "Is he alright?"

"I hope so," said Emily. "All I can say is I'm glad he'll be coming home soon."

"Thank goodness for that," sighed Gordon. "Some people really don't know what they are doing at the docks."

"You can say that again," agreed Porter. "When Salty and I found out what happened, we were shocked to say the least."

"We all were," James agreed. "What else happened at the show?"

"Well, Rajiv wasn't exactly happy with being in second place," Emily chuckled.

"Oh, so you took him down a peg did you?" smirked James.

"Not intentionally, but yes."

"Oh, and Percy?" said Caitlin. "There was an engine in the Shunting Challenge that was a bit... boastful. If you run into her at the next Great Railway Show or something, I'd watch my back if I were you."

"Thanks for the warning, Caitlin," said Percy. "I'll make sure to be careful."

"And you'll never guess who I saw in the Best Decorated Engine Parade," Emily went on with a grin.

"Who?" asked Percy.

"Gator."

"He was there?" Percy smiled. "How was he?"

"He was good," Emily told him. "Gator also says hello."

"That's good to hear," said Percy.

"Maybe he'll visit us again sometime," Oliver smiled. "Or maybe since Thomas has accidentally wound up in Africa, one of us would visit another railway outside of England."

"Unfortunately, that is one thing I can't do while acting controller, Oliver," Mr. Percival said. "You're going to have to talk with Sir Topham about that."

"Oh, right. Yes, sir."

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Sir Topham Hatt had finally returned to Sodor by plane. The engines were pleased to see him once again.

"We're glad you're back home, sir," said Edward, "but when is Thomas expected to arrive home again?"

"No more than three weeks, at best," said Sir Topham Hatt. "But he's not coming by ship alone. While on his trip, Thomas befriended a tank engine named Nia. Sadly, her manager had been very cruel towards her. Thankfully, he was sent to prison, and I have purchased Nia to come to Sodor and help us."

"But sir, haven't you already bought another engine for the mainline?" asked Gordon.

"Yes," Sir Topham Hatt replied, "but she won't be here for another month or so. Nia, meanwhile, will be helping out on Thomas' branch line."

"Thank goodness!" cried Percy. "We've been worked off our wheels for a while."

"I know, Percy," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner."

* * *

As the days passed, the engines grew more and more excited for Thomas' return home.

"Don't see what all the thus is about," grumbled Bulgy one morning. "That blue kettle being gone just paved the way for the buses to take over, and him coming back's gone and scuppered our plans!"

"Don't be silly, Bulgy," chuckled Caitlin. "Without railways, people and goods wouldn't travel long distances in vast quantities."

"I could carry just as many passengers in less time than you ever could," retorted Bulgy, "and with less down time too! My mates on the mainland can do that as well!"

But before Bulgy could continue, Caitlin's guard had blown the whistle, and the fuchsia streamlined engine pulled out of the station.

"WE'LL TAKE OVER ONE OF THESE DAYS!" Bulgy bellowed as Caitlin pulled away. "YOU HEAR ME?! WE'LL BRING YOUR TYRANNY TO AN END! FREE THE ROADS! FREE THE ROADS FROM RAILWAY TYRANNY!"

But Caitlin was too far away to hear him; even then, she was making so much noise that she couldn't hear Bulgy's ranting properly.

"Her lights are on, but no one's home," muttered Bulgy.

* * *

At long last, the big day came. A big party was to be held at Knapford station to celebrate Thomas' return to Sodor as well as Nia's arrival. Caitlin and Emily were assigned to take special trains carrying the likes of the stationmasters, Mr. and Mrs. Percival, Mr. Fergus Duncan, Sir Robert Norramby, the Duke and Duchess of Boxford, and other important people.

Caitlin was just bringing in a last train full of passengers. As she rounded a bend, a pile of crates had fallen onto her line!

"What in Sodor's name..." gasped Caitlin. "Where did they come from?" Quickly, the fuchsia streamlined engine applied her brakes, but it wasn't fast enough as she plowed right into the crates anyway.

"Oh dear!" she gasped. "Now how am I supposed to get to the celebration?" Caitlin's siderod had been damaged in the collision, so she couldn't move on her own power.

"Are you alright, Caitlin?" asked her driver, he and the fireman quickly getting out of the cab to check her over.

"I... I think so," gasped Caitlin. "I think I might've damaged some goods... and my siderod..."

"Where did they come from?" asked the fireman, scratching his head. At that moment, Emily was coming up with her own train of guests. She was surprised to see Caitlin stopped in the middle of the mainline.

"Caitlin, what happened? Are you okay?" gasped Emily.

"I don't know what happened, but it's just my siderod that are damaged," Caitlin sighed.

"How about I help you to the station before Thomas and Nia get here?" asked Emily.

"What about you?" asked Caitlin.

"I'm already running early," said Emily. "Besides, you did help me to the Steamworks sometime back."

Caitlin smiled, remembering. "How could I forget that day?"

Emily had switched tracks and she buffered up behind Caitlin's coaches. She blew her whistle to let the streamlined engine know she was ready. Caitlin whistled back, and then Emily took off.

* * *

Caitlin's damaged siderod had been removed to prevent further damage, and so she couldn't do much to help, but that didn't stop Emily from trying her hardest.

"Do you have any idea how those crates got there?" asked Emily.

"I don't know either," said Caitlin. "They just appeared from nowhere and I couldn't stop in time."

"That's most unusual," gasped Emily. "It's not that windy, so I doubt they were blown over."

"Do you think, maybe, they were knocked over?" asked Caitlin.

"It must've been that Bulgy," frowned Emily. "I'll bet he did it on purpose to try and sabotage the railway!"

"Remind me, didn't you say he was nicer as a vegetable stand?" Caitlin sighed.

"I suspect it was an act the whole time," said Emily. "I mean, being stuck in a field of hens for a long time would drive anyone mad. I swear that Bulgy's a few bolts short of a radiator."

Caitlin snorted with laughter at Emily's remark; it didn't seem far off from the truth.

"Where could that double decker bus be?" asked Emily. "I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Never mind that now, Emily," soothed her driver. "We have to get to Knapford for Thomas' return party."

"Of course, driver," Emily sighed. "Passengers take priority."

* * *

At last, Knapford station came into view, where lots of engines were waiting. Emily could hear the crowd cheering even before they'd gotten there.

"Oh no!" she groaned. "We're too late!"

"I don't see Thomas anywhere," said Caitlin. "I think it's us they're cheering."

"Really?" gasped Emily. "Why are they cheering us?"

"You got the last trains here just in time!" cried a little girl, scrambling out of the front coach with her mother. "Thank you, Emily and Caitlin. That was so cool!"

"Oh... just engines doing their job," Emily said modestly.

Just as soon as Emily and Caitlin had gotten into position, the signal had dropped, and two whistles sounded in the distance; one was unfamiliar to the engines, but the other was one they knew too well.

"Here he comes!" cried Percy in excitement. Yes indeed, it was Thomas the tank engine himself, back on Sudrian rails once again. Proudly puffing alongside him was an unfamiliar black tank engine with African patterns on her side tanks.

"Thomas!" gasped Percy. "I was so worried about you."

"We all were," said Toby. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Toby," smiled Thomas. "I've just run into a bit of a scrape in Africa, but I had a new friend to help me out. Everyone, this is Nia."

"_Jambo_, everyone," she greeted. "How are your wheels? How is your boiler? How are your pistons? Have the tracks been taking you where to go, and are your fellow engines keeping you well?"

The other engines blinked in confusion, but Thomas just chuckled. "Long story, everyone."

"Thomas, I'm so glad you're safe home," Sir Topham Hatt said, relieved. "And Nia, I welcome you to my railway with open arms."

"Thank you very much, sir," smiled Nia. "I will try my best to work hard and be really useful."

* * *

As the party continued, Thomas told his friends all about his trip in Africa, while Nia also told them about how she and her friends had been treated by their old manager.

"No engine deserves to be treated so cruelly," Edward gasped softly. "That must have been scary for you."

"Yes..." Nia sighed. "I thought I was done for."

"I know how that can feel," Oliver sympathized. "If not for Douglas finding Toad and I at the last minute, we wouldn't be here at all."

"An' if nae fur Donal', I wooldnae be haur either," Douglas put in.

"Gosh, I guess Sir Topham Hatt has a habit of saving engines," Nia smiled.

"You could say that," Toby chuckled. "We're glad to have you here with us, Nia."

"I can't wait for you to see the Ffarquhar branch," Mavis perked up. "It will be great to have another girl engine around since Daisy took off to Harwick."

"Well, I can't wait to get to know everyone better," Nia grinned.

* * *

That evening, Thomas, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Emily were at Tidmouth sheds. There was, however, an open berth.

"Is someone else occupying that berth?" asked Nia.

"That used to be Edward's berth," explained James. "Last year, he'd moved to Wellsworth with Philip."

"Oh. Well... is it okay if I move in?"

"Of course," smiled Thomas. "Come on in."

"Wha- I- Bu- Th-that should be where Edward sleeps...!" Gordon spluttered. But no one bothered to listen to him as Nia was spun around and then backed onto the remaining empty berth between him and James.

"It's nice to be in a shed again," Nia commented. "And it's very cozy in here too."

"We're glad you think so, Nia," smiled Percy.

"It's nice to finally have another girl to talk to at night," giggled Emily.

"You look beautiful painted like that," Nia commented.

"What... oh, I still haven't gotten my normal colors back," Emily realized. "This was for the Great Railway Show's Best Decorated Engine Parade."

"Who won?" asked Thomas.

"I did," Emily told him. "It was tough competition though."

"From what Emily said," said Percy, "you missed quite a show, Thomas."

"Ah well, maybe next time," Thomas said casually. "Besides, it's because I ended up on the wrong ship that I was able to help save Nia."

"That was rather lucky," said Henry. "I guess certain things do happen for a reason."

"Even if we don't realize that reason at the time," agreed Emily.

"It's a good thing Thomas found me when he did," Nia admitted. "I miss my friends back in Africa, but I am excited to start my new life on Sodor."

"And we all hope you feel at home with us, Nia," James put in. "Welcome to the railway."

Nia and the other engines started chatting amongst each other, but Gordon remained quiet. It didn't seem right for Nia to just barge in here and steal Edward's berth. But that's another story...

**TO BE CONCLUDED**

* * *

**Author's Comments**

And so _Emily at the Great Railway Show_ comes to a close! Not only is this the final part of the _Big World! Big Adventures!_ rewrite, it's also loosely adapted from the Railway Series story "Thomas Comes Home" from the book of the same name. This chapter was really difficult to try and get off of the ground, but with Rachel's help, we were finally able to complete this part of the saga. Bulgy's small appearance in the story serves as a bit of foreshadowing to a future book that'll center around Duck and the Little Western line, and yes, Emily's decorations will stick around for a while until the time comes for her to be repainted back to her regular livery.

Next time, we kick off the final book of the trilogy, _Gordon and the New Engines_!


	10. Forever and Ever

**THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY SERIES No. 3**

**GORDON AND THE NEW ENGINES**

**Based upon the original episodes by Andrew Brenner, Davey Moore and Lee Pressman**

* * *

**Foreword**

Habari, marafiki wangu! (That's Swahili for "hello, my friends.")

Having to leave my old railway behind in Africa was both a relief but a shame as well; relieved at never having to deal with my old abusive controller again, but disappointed that I'd be leaving my old friends behind and never seeing things get better with his arrest. Happily though, some of them stayed on my old railway and those who got sold on went to other railways around the world, like Kwaku to the United States of America and myself to the Island of Sodor.

Most of the engines of the North Western Railway accepted me, especially after learning about my troubled past, but one of them, Gordon, was a lot harder to become friends with. His attitude did change for the better when the railway's other newest arrival, Rebecca, joined the ranks. I like Rebecca, and I hope that you will as well.

Wako mwaminifu,  
Nia

* * *

**FOREVER AND EVER**

**Based upon the episode by Andrew Brenner**

A couple of weeks had gone by since Thomas' return and Nia's arrival to Sodor. Being in a new environment meant that the Kenyan engine had a lot to learn. The rest of the engines were willing to help Nia learn the ways of Sodor, but there was one engine who didn't even want to know about her...

* * *

"Disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful!"

Gordon the big engine was in a bad mood as he pulled into Wellsworth station to wait for Edward to bank his train. The express had been getting heavier lately, and today was of no exception.

"It's just not right!" complained Gordon as Edward backed up alongside him.

"What isn't right, Gordon?" asked Edward.

"Oh, it's not like you don't know, Edward," said Gordon. "That new engine Nia has taken over your berth at Tidmouth, and she hasn't even been on the railway for a whole year!"

"Is there a problem with that?" asked Edward, not understanding why Gordon was making a huge fuss about it.

"Tidmouth's been your home for many years!" snapped Gordon. "And it was just last year that you abandoned that place just to mentor Philip! Surely you'd be upset by that new engine taking over your berth!"

"Gordon, you know the sheds at Wellsworth are closer to my branch line," said Edward. "Philip needs someone to mentor him. Also, I'm not that bothered about Nia living at Tidmouth. Besides, all engines need a roof over their cabs to protect them from weather damage."

"A fair point about us engines needing a roof to sleep under, but when you mentored Thomas when he first came to Sodor, it was only a few weeks at most before he got his own branch line," Gordon countered. "Philip's only been here a few years and yet it was only last year that you decided to take him under his wing!"

Edward decided that this argument wasn't worth continuing, and so he said nothing as he reversed further in order to buffer up to the rear express coach.

"Hmph!" Gordon grunted. "Doesn't care much for my feelings, much like that Henry who's lately been taking recent absences from Tidmouth..."

Edward had overheard the last part of Gordon's complaining and raised an eyebrow at that remark.

"I should have to ask Henry about that the next time he comes by," Edward said to himself.

* * *

Later that day, Edward got his chance when he pulled into Wellsworth station; Henry was there, dropping off some passengers.

"Hello, Edward," Henry greeted. "How has life at Wellsworth been treating you?"

"It's been rather well," said Edward. "Philip's taking well to my teachings. How are things back at Tidmouth sheds?"

"Nothing too eventful," said Henry. "Though Gordon's been complaining much more lately since Nia took your berth at the sheds."

"He also mentioned something about you spending less time there too," Edward added.

"Oh, yes," said Henry. "About that. I've been staying at Vicarstown sheds lately with Rosie and Dennis."

"And it's been working out well?"

"Oh yes," Henry smiled. "I get more time to rest after I finish delivering the Flying Kipper, and it's much more peaceful not to hear James spend about an hour boasting about his appearance after getting a repaint. I was even thinking about asking Sir Topham Hatt if I could move there permanently."

"A change can be as good as a rest," Edward smiled. "I wish you luck."

* * *

Meanwhile, Gordon was taking on coal for his express train. But he was still grumbling.

"It's just not fair," he complained. "First Edward leaves Tidmouth Sheds, and now this new engine just comes along and takes his berth. Whatever next; using white rails and rainbow-colored sleepers for our tracks to build a roller coaster for us to work on?!"

The big blue engine looked over and noticed Nia arranging his coaches at the platform.

"And just what are _you_ doing?" asked Gordon suspiciously.

"Arranging your coaches," Nia insisted. "Aren't they supposed to go to the platform?"

"They are supposed to go to platform _one_," Gordon insisted. "You're taking them to platform _four_." Nia blushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry," she peeped, bringing the coaches to the proper platform.

Gordon was just backing down onto his train when Henry arrived. The express engine hardly noticed as Sir Topham Hatt came up to the big green engine.

"Could I perhaps talk to you, sir?" Henry asked.

"About what, Henry?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"Could I perhaps be transferred to Vicarstown sheds from now on?"

"_WHAAAAAT?!_" Gordon gasped in shock. "Transfer to Vicarstown?! B-b-but Tidmouth sheds are your home! Why would you want to leave?"

"I felt like I needed a change of pace," explained Henry. "Living at Vicarstown makes it easier for me to rest after delivering the Flying Kipper."

"Well Henry," said Sir Topham Hatt, "if you feel like you would enjoy the change, then yes. You may relocate to Vicarstown."

Gordon was absolutely furious! First Edward left, and now Henry too? Before he could voice his opinion, the guard blew his whistle.

"Oh, the indignity..." he groaned as he pulled away. Gordon remained in a foul mood for the rest of the day, refusing to speak to anyone. All that was on his mind was the fact that Henry was leaving Tidmouth in favor of Vicarstown.

* * *

That evening, Gordon crawled home to his shed. He could see Henry talking to the other engines.

"Do you think you'll be alright there, Henry?" asked Percy.

"I'll be fine," Henry promised. "Rosie and Dennis will keep me company. And there are extra berths for other engines who stop by to rest as well. So I won't be lonely."

"Well, that's good to hear," said James. "Just so long as a crazy diesel doesn't come from the mainland and try to snatch you up."

"Well, at least I have less of a chance at mistaking another engine for a monster and running into a pond," Henry teased.

Thomas, Percy, Nia and Emily had a laugh while James just scowled. The laughter had died down as soon as Gordon backed into his berth. The engines were now silent, wondering what would happen next. Tidmouth sheds had become so quiet, you could hear a pin land.

"I don't see a reason Henry should leave," snorted Gordon. "Tidmouth sheds is the best place to rest on the North Western Railway." He then glared at Nia. "At least until _she_ arrived."

Nia felt hurt at this comment. It was as though Gordon was blaming her for Henry's decision to leave Tidmouth.

"But Gordon," she insisted, "I had nothing to do with Henry wanting to move to another shed..."

"Liar!" Gordon roared. "Everything was fine before you came along. When Edward left for Wellsworth, I thought he would eventually come back when he had regained his senses. But then you came along and stole his berth! And now you've driven Henry away as well! Is this your grand master plan; to split us all up? Well, _I won't let you do this, you hear?! __**I! WON'T! LET YOU!**_"

As Gordon's words echoed throughout the yard, the engines just stared at the big blue engine in shock; they couldn't believe he would make such an accusation against someone like Nia without evidence to back it up. The Kenyan tank engine was hyperventilating with fear and sadness at what Gordon had just said, and before anyone could speak up, she had ran out of the sheds in tears.

"How could you have said such a thing, Gordon?!"

Gordon looked over in surprise to see that it was Percy who had angrily called him out for his accusation.

"Nia had done nothing to deserve that treatment!" continued Percy.

"But she-" Gordon tried to speak.

"She was living a terrible life with a cruel manager!" Percy cut in. "Had Thomas not wound up in Africa and brought her home to Sodor, Nia would be spending the rest of her life living in fear without a proper roof over her head. Would you _really_ want for her to continue living that way, Gordon? Just because you can't accept change? You just proved yourself tonight to be a big fat, stubborn, arrogant, narrow-minded bully!"

The other engines were taken aback by Percy's angry rant; they were all equally disgusted by Gordon's actions, but Percy was the only one who dared to speak up on their behalf regarding what they all thought. Before Gordon could respond, Henry was next to speak up.

"Gordon," he seethed calmly, yet furiously, "perhaps it would be better if you left the sheds before someone else loses their temper."

Reluctantly, and still in a bit of shock himself, Gordon left the sheds, feeling the other engines glaring angrily at him.

"I'll go check on Nia," offered Emily.

* * *

She found the poor engine in a goods shed near Elsbridge station with only the trucks for company.

"Nia?" Emily whispered. The Kenyan engine looked up.

"Who's there?" she asked, fearing it to be Gordon.

"It's just me, Emily," the Stirling engine replied. Nia sighed with relief. "I'm sorry about Gordon's behavior, Nia. I speak on behalf of the rest of us that he's not a bad engine, but what he said was inexcusable."

Nia felt a bit better.

"Come on back to the sheds," Emily insisted. "You shouldn't have to be out here on your own."

"Alright." With that, Emily and Nia returned to Tidmouth sheds.

* * *

Gordon, meanwhile, had tucked into a goods shed near Knapford.

"The nerve of them," he grumbled. "Banishing me from my rightful home all because I was voicing an honest opinion." Before long, the stubborn engine fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, however...

"Gordon!"

"Aah!" Gordon jumped to find Sir Topham Hatt looking right at him, very angry indeed.

"What do you think you're playing at?!" Sir Topham Hatt scolded. "I heard from the other engines what you said to Nia, and I am absolutely ashamed of you!"

"It's not my fault, sir!" Gordon protested. "It's that Nia! She drove Henry into leaving Tidmouth sheds!"

"Henry was thinking about transferring to Vicarstown long before Nia arrived!" snapped Sir Topham Hatt. "She had nothing to do with it! Henry asked to transfer for the same reason Edward transferred to Wellsworth - by _choice_! You're usually one of my more sensible engines, Gordon. But lately, you've been acting like a spoiled child who didn't get the toy he wanted. I think it's high time you learned to accept change and realize that you can't always have everything be _your_ way. And until you do... I'm taking your express away!"

Gordon was horrified! "Oh, the indignity!" he cried.

"Don't be such a drama queen," scolded his driver. "You knew what you did was wrong, but you chose to do it anyway."

"Actions have consequences," the fireman added. "And you need to accept your punishment."

* * *

While Gordon was being punished, Henry was put on the express duties. He didn't mind this change. It felt good to be given a promotion to go with his transfer. However, whenever he crossed paths with Gordon, Henry would refuse to speak to him, and nor did the rest of the engines at Tidmouth.

Gordon felt miserable. Not only had his stubborn attitude cost him his favorite job, but now he had lost the respect of his friends. He began to worry that he would be hated for the rest of his life, all because he couldn't accept changes. But I think it served him right. Don't you?

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, here we go, kicking off the third book of this ongoing saga with a rewrite of one of the more controversial episodes of season 22! Love it, hate it, or somewhere in the middle, if there was a criticism that I think many fans can agree upon, Henry just moving to Vicarstown like that felt like an afterthought - at least Edward had a reason in _A Shed for Edward_. For _The International Railway Series_, we've already established Henry wanting a change, as well as seeing his reactions to Gordon's response, which is a very notable departure from the original. That wasn't in the original plan, but as the story arc evolved, I felt it would work for Gordon's arc about accepting change. He's taken his anger out on Nia, and now his friends are disgusted by his behavior.

Next time, we meet this universe's take on Rebecca in _Confusion Without Delay_!


	11. Confusion Without Delay

**CONFUSION WITHOUT DELAY**

**Based upon the episode by Davey Moore**

Late one September afternoon, Rosie was arranging some trucks at the yards of Vicarstown. She was just finishing when she noticed a large green engine racing by.

"Was that Henry?" Rosie wondered. Just then, Henry pulled in from the opposite direction.

"Wait, Henry?!" exclaimed Rosie. "Didn't you just come from the other direction?"

"That wasn't me," Henry insisted. "I thought it was the Flying Scotsman rushing past."

"It couldn't be," said Rosie. "The Flying Scotsman has two tenders, but I only saw one."

"Well, who could it have been then?"

* * *

Over at Knapford yard, Thomas, Emily, Nia and Percy had gathered for an announcement from Sir Topham Hatt.

"As you all know," he began, "before going to the Great Railway Show in Canada, I purchased another engine from the mainland to help out with work on the mainline."

Suddenly, Percy noticed something in the distance. "Uh, sir...?"

"Not now, Percy," Sir Topham Hatt scolded. "I'm trying to finish my announcement."

"But sir..." Percy protested.

"I'm slowing down!" a female voice cried. "I'm slowing _doooowwn_!" Suddenly, Percy found himself being bumped by an unfamiliar engine. She was a large green tender engine with black wheels and a streamlined appearance.

"I'm so sorry!" the engine apologized. "I miscalculated how long it would take me to slow down."

"I should say so," Sir Topham Hatt retorted. "I wasn't even expecting you to arrive until tomorrow."

"I know," the new engine insisted, "but I was afraid of being delayed on my way up so I decided to set off early just to be on the safe side."

"Hmm, I see." Sir Topham Hatt turned to the rest of his engines. "I would like you all to meet our newest recruit," he announced, referring to the new engine. "This is Rebecca."

Despite the bumpy arrival, Percy and the other engines gave Rebecca a warm welcome.

"Hello, everyone," Rebecca greeted cheerfully. "I've been looking forward to coming here for a long time. Where am I meant to stay?"

"You'll be staying at Tidmouth sheds," said Sir Topham Hatt.

"I can take you there," Percy offered.

"That's a lovely offer," smiled Rebecca. "Thank you very much."

As Rebecca followed Percy, she noticed a rather sulky Gordon passing by with a goods train. Rebecca wanted to know why the big blue engine was in such a bad mood, but decided to ask about it later.

* * *

That evening, Rebecca and the other engines (minus Gordon) were resting at Tidmouth Sheds, talking about the day they'd had.

"Tomorrow I begin my first day of work on Thomas's branch line," said Nia proudly.

"Congratulations, Nia," smiled Thomas. "You don't know how grateful we are to have more help on the branch line."

"It hasn't been the same since Daisy went to Harwick," Percy added.

"Percy," Rebecca spoke up, "who was that big tender engine we passed earlier?"

"That was Gordon," Percy insisted. A hush fell upon the sheds as soured faces formed on the engines at the mere mention of Gordon's name.

"Why don't you like Gordon?" asked Rebecca.

"Before you and Nia arrived," explained Thomas, "our friends Edward and Henry used to live here at Tidmouth with us. But after James crashed into the sheds, Edward temporarily transferred to the sheds at Wellsworth."

"And when the repairs were finished," James added, "Edward decided to stay at Wellsworth since it was part of his branch line."

"And lately," Emily contributed, "Henry had thought about transferring to Vicarstown so he could get better sleep after taking the Flying Kipper. But Gordon wasn't too happy with the changes being made, and had the audacity to blame _Nia_ for it."

"And said some very hurtful things about me in the process," said Nia quietly. She was still pretty upset by what Gordon had said.

"That's terrible!" Rebecca gasped. "How could an engine be so mean as to blame another for something they weren't responsible for?"

"We've all behaved badly at one point or another," said Emily. "I once went through a phase where I was being bossy and rude to everyone else."

"Why would you do that?"

"Well..." Emily began, her voice barely audible. "You remember us telling you that Sir Topham Hatt often saves engines from being scrapped? I was one of those engines. But... Douglas and Oliver took action to come here, while I... I was left alone on a siding, and I did nothing to save myself."

"That must have been horrible," gasped Rebecca. No one noticed it, but there was more to Rebecca's remark of sympathy than they were letting on.

"A fair number of us have lonely pasts like that," Percy commented. "But somehow, us all being here have made us become stronger in the long run."

"I'm glad to hear," said Rebecca. "Sometimes, bad things happen to let good things come later."

"That's true," said Thomas. "I was sent to Africa by mistake, but if it didn't happen, I wouldn't have met Nia and helped her here."

"Besides, I'm sure you'll do the Shunting Challenge next time," Emily smiled. "Percy's score would be tough to beat though."

"Oh well," Thomas chuckled. "It will be fun to do the challenge if I get the chance."

* * *

The following morning, the engines began setting out for work. Rebecca was still fast asleep.

"Wake up, sleepy boiler," Percy called.

Rebecca woke with a yawn. "What's the time?" she said groggily.

"It's seven o'clock." Rebecca wasn't so sleepy anymore.

"Oh no!" she cried. "My first day on Sodor, and I'm going to be late for my first job!" And she raced quickly out of the sheds.

"Hey, be careful!" called James as Rebecca raced onto the turntable. "You could've caused a derailment!"

"But Rebecca's not late," said Percy. "The express isn't due for another hour!"

* * *

Rebecca raced into Knapford station, braking to a sharp stop. The speed she had been going caused papers and hats from pedestals to blow about.

"Sorry!" Rebecca cried. "I'm not too late, am I?"

"What do you mean late?" Sir Topham Hatt asked, dusting himself off. "The express isn't due out until eight o'clock. You're almost an hour early."

Rebecca blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, sir..."

Rebecca waited quite a while before her coaches were brought to the platform. It was Percy who had shunted them into place.

"Thank you, Percy," Rebecca smiled.

"My pleasure, Rebecca," Percy said. "I used to be a station pilot when I first came to Sodor."

"Well, you do it very well," Rebecca complimented. Percy blushed; he wasn't used to having bigger engines compliment him on odd jobs.

Eventually, the clock struck eight, the guard blew his whistle, and Rebecca steamed off.

* * *

Before long, Rebecca arrived at Vicarstown station. Unfortunately, she'd managed to get in the way again.

"Excuse me," Henry remarked. "But why are you on my line?"

"Your line?" asked Rebecca, not understanding the situation.

"These are my passengers you're picking up," explained Henry. "They're supposed to go on _my_ train."

Rebecca sheepishly backed out of the way. "I'm so sorry about this... er..."

"Henry. My name's Henry. And I take it you're Rebecca?"

"Oh yes! How did-"

"I read your nameplate," the number three green engine explained. Just then, Rosie pulled in with some trucks. She quickly recognized Rebecca.

"Weren't you that engine who raced by yesterday?" she asked.

"Yes, that was me," Rebecca admitted. "I was afraid of being late."

Soon, Rebecca collected her proper passengers, and was ready to go.

"No more mistakes," Rebecca told herself as she steamed out of the station. "Have to make a good impression."

* * *

"All the engines on this railway are so fast and strong," Rebecca said to herself as she puffed along the line. "They've even taken part in competitions. I hope I won't be remembered as a slow coach." Then she had an idea. "If I were to leave my stations a little bit earlier, then I'll have a better chance of being on time. That should prove what a hard worker I am."

While it seemed like a good idea to her, it would only result in more trouble. Whenever Rebecca would stop at a station, she would leave at least five to ten minutes sooner than she was supposed to. Because of this, some of her passengers were left stranded. The passengers angrily shouted at Rebecca, but she thought they were cheering her on.

* * *

Before long, Rebecca pulled into Brendam docks. Sadly, she was once again in the way.

"Get out of my way!" grumbled Diesel.

"I'm sorry!" Rebecca apologized, backing towards a junction so she could get out of Diesel's path. "Oh, and I'm Rebecca, by the way."

"Well, Rebecca-by-the-way," Diesel snorted. "You need to show more respect to the modern engines."

"It's my first day here," Rebecca explained. "Say, I don't really know what to call you."

"I'm Diesel, I think you'll find," the small black engine retorted.

"Sorry, Diesel-I-think-you'll-find," retorted Rebecca. "I'll be out of your way soon." With that, Rebecca steamed away.

* * *

At long last, Rebecca finally returned to Vicarstown station, tired but triumphant.

"Phew!" she sighed. "What a day." Suddenly, the doors of her coaches burst open, and a mob of angry passengers stormed out. They told everyone what a bad railway it was.

"Oh dear!" Rebecca gasped. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to be late."

"You're not late," came a voice. Pulling up to the platform next to Rebecca was Gordon with some coaches of his own. "You're _early_," he continued.

"_Again_," added a third voice. Rebecca looked over to see Sir Topham Hatt looking cross.

"You have caused confusion and dela..." The controller of the railway stopped, remembering what delay actually meant. "Oh, uh, confusion and um... Well, uh... a great deal of confusion!"

"I don't understand, sir," Rebecca insisted. "I made extra sure not to be late."

"You have been getting everywhere _too_ early," explained Sir Topham Hatt. "And because of that, several passengers ended up missing the train. So I had to send Gordon to collect the passengers you left behind. How can I run a railway if engines don't stick to the timetables?"

Rebecca felt very foolish indeed.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she said. "I didn't realize how early I'd been. It's just that all the engines on your railway are so fast, strong, and admirable. I didn't want to be known as a slow coach."

"It's not a race or a contest," Sir Topham Hatt insisted. "You just need to stick to the timetable. You'll soon get the hang of it, Rebecca. We all make mistakes every now and then."

While Sir Topham Hatt went to settle the passengers down, Rebecca saw this as a chance to have a word with Gordon about his behavior.

"Excuse me, Gordon?" she asked.

"What is it?" the big engine asked.

"I heard from the other engines about what you said to Nia," said Rebecca. "I can't believe you would go out of your way to make a new engine feel so unwelcome."

"I was hurt at the idea of Henry wanting to leave Tidmouth," Gordon explained. "I was so upset that yet another close friend had seemingly turned their back on me that I lashed out, saying things I didn't really mean."

"I see," Rebecca spoke softly. "It must hurt having a friend leave you."

"It really does," Gordon admitted. "Edward, Henry and I were among the first engines on this railway. We lived in those sheds together for years. Now with them leaving, it's as if our whole friendship is going with them."

"Perhaps you should explain this to the others," Rebecca suggested. "They may somewhat understand."

"What makes you think they're going to believe me?" asked Gordon. "I only drove them away from me because of my stubbornness."

"True friends never stay angry forever," insisted Rebecca. "What can anybody hope to gain by holding onto a grudge? Come on. Let's go home."

As the two engines set off, Gordon hoped Rebecca was right. Would his friends be willing to forgive him, or would he be an outcast forever? The answer may come soon, but that's another story.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

While _Forever and Ever_ changed a lot from the original episode, _Confusion Without Delay_ more or less stayed similar, but with notable differences due to being affected by the former. Among them being Rebecca given a pre-Sodor livery, much like Nia, and her friendship with Gordon slowly building once she realizes why he acted without thinking. Another addition was why Emily acted the way she did in seasons 8-12. While Douglas and Oliver fought to survive, Emily just sat there in a siding before Sir Topham Hatt saved her, and for a while, she hated herself for not trying to escape from scrap while she had the chance and took it out on the other engines. I know some have the idea of her being bullied by Gordon and James, but I wanted to try something different.

Next time, we'll see if we can keep _Counting on Nia_!


	12. Counting on Nia

**COUNTING ON NIA**

**Based upon the episode by Lee Pressman**

"Your performance since you've arrived on Sodor has been wonderful, Nia," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now that you've adjusted as to how things are handled on Sodor, I feel as though you're ready to start work on Thomas' branch line."

"Oh, yes, sir! I am, sir!" said Nia eagerly.

"Excellent," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "For your first day on the branch line, I'd like you to take the first passenger run of the day with Annie and Clarabel."

Nia was surprised. "But aren't they Thomas' coaches, sir?" she asked.

"Yes, but Thomas agreed to it when I mentioned it to him," Sir Topham Hatt assured. "He'll be handling goods trains for today, and if you do a good job on passenger runs, I may consider getting some other coaches to work with in case we'll need extra passenger runs."

"That would be wonderful, sir," smiled Nia.

"Oh, and Thomas usually pulls out of platform two for the branch line," Sir Topham Hatt added.

"Right, sir," said Nia, and she puffed away to collect Annie and Clarabel, with her smile slowly changing into a worried frown, making sure that Sir Topham Hatt couldn't see.

* * *

Annie and Clarabel were resting in their shed when Nia pulled in.

"Good morning!" Nia called cheerfully. "I'm taking you two out today."

"Won't Thomas be upset?" asked Annie.

"He can usually be very protective of us if another engine takes us without his consent," Clarabel added.

"Thomas is aware of the arrangement," Nia explained. "He's okay with it."

"Oh, I see," said Annie. "You did find us very quickly."

"Most other engines would struggle trying to find us in our corner of the yard," added Clarabel. By now, Nia was coupled up to them and pulled them slowly out of their siding.

"Well, it is hard to miss a pair of orange coaches among some red and green coaches," chuckled Nia. "But other than that, I've had loads of experience with goods yards back in Africa."

"Nia's certainly a clever engine, isn't she, Clarabel?"

"Oh yes, very clever indeed!" Nia had overheard the coaches talking about her and smiled to herself.

"A clever engine doesn't get anything go wrong," she said to herself, but she wasn't convinced.

* * *

Soon, Nia had rolled up to the junction outside of Knapford station. There were five platforms, along with a sixth track that didn't have one, which already ruled it out. James was already waiting with a local train on the rightmost platform, which meant that it had to be one of the two leftmost platforms.

"This must be platform two," Nia said to herself, but she was wrong, for she was pulling into platform _one_. And if that wasn't enough, Rebecca was heading straight towards her!

"Look out!" cried Rebecca.

Nia gasped, and quickly backed herself, Annie and Clarabel out of the way. Thankfully, she was just in time to avoid a collision.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Rebecca. "So sorry, Nia! I'm not running late, am I?"

"Er, no," said Nia, relieved at having avoided a potential accident. "I thought this was platform two."

"Platform two?" asked Rebecca, confused. "But this is platform one where the express arrives and departs from."

Nia then looked up at the platform signs. She tried to figure out which was one and which was two, but grimaced to herself.

"Which one is platform two?" she whispered to Annie and Clarabel.

"Well... the second platform," sighed Annie. "Can't you see the number two above it?"

"Er..."

"Perhaps it'll be onto your right hand side," said Clarabel helpfully.

"Right hand side," Nia repeated. "Oh! Then it must be that one then!" Quickly, Nia had switched tracks and was about to go to what she believed to be platform two. The passengers were confused when they saw Nia racing past them.

"Stop, Nia!" cried Annie and Clarabel. "You've missed our passengers!" Nia quickly came to a stop once again.

"But I thought that platform over there was two?" she asked with surprise.

"No! This _is_ platform two," sighed Annie irritability. "You almost brought us to platform _four_."

"That's one of the terminal platforms," added Clarabel. Nia blushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry..." she murmured. She soon backed up again so that her passengers could properly board the train.

"What kind of engine does not even know their own platforms?" a particularly irritable passenger remarked. "A blind person could've figured that out!" Nia winced as she heard some of the other passengers grumbling about the confusion as well.

"It's alright, Nia," assured Clarabel. "No engine gets it right the first time every time." Nia smiled a little, but it didn't do much to cheer her up. Once the passengers were all on board, the guard blew his whistle, and they set off.

* * *

At first, Nia did well. She stopped at every station she was required to, and waited until the guard's whistle blew before she started up again. It wasn't long before she began to forget about the mix-up at Knapford.

"This passenger work is easy," Nia smiled to herself.

But I'm afraid she would run into more trouble. Up ahead, some workmen were tending to the lines. This meant speed limit signs were put up to warn engines to slow down.

"How fast should we be going?" asked Annie. The sign ahead had the number twenty on it, but Nia didn't know. To her, it just looked like odd scribbles.

"Um, I can't read it," Nia insisted. "The writing must be smudged." But as she rounded a bend, Nia suddenly saw the workmen.

"Oh no!" she cried, and quickly slammed on the brakes.

Thankfully, she stopped just in time to prevent a derailment on some bumpy tracks. But the workmen weren't very happy with the close call.

"You silly engine!" one snapped. "Why didn't you slow down when you saw the speed limit sign?"

Nia was embarrassed and didn't know what to say; she _could_ see the speed limit sign, but she couldn't read what the sign was saying. Even worse, the passengers began to complain once again about the delays.

"What a dreadful engine!" grouched the same passenger who criticized Nia back at Knapford. "Now I've spilled tea all over my suit and the tracks ahead are in awful condition! Why can't they properly maintain their rails? Dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

Now Nia felt worse than ever. Before long, it was safe for her to continue her journey, but she was feeling very foolish.

* * *

"Is everything alright, Nia?" asked Annie.

"Whatever it is, you can tell us," said Clarabel. "I promise we won't laugh."

But the coaches got no response from the Kenyan engine. Eventually, however, they made it to Ffarquhar without further incident or delay. Toby the tram engine was sitting in a siding with Henrietta, taking on water and coal.

"Hello, Nia," Toby greeted. "Welcome to our humble little branch line."

"Thanks..." Nia murmured quietly.

Toby raised an eyebrow with concern. "Is everything alright there?"

"Not really," Nia explained. And she told Toby and Henrietta about her incident with the speed limit signs.

"Oh dear," said Toby. "Why didn't you slow down when you saw the signs?"

Nia hesitated at first. She was embarrassed about the reason why, but she knew that no one would stop pestering her until she fully explained why she almost derailed. Reluctantly, Nia took a deep breath and told Toby and the coaches.

"I did see the sign," she said, "but I couldn't tell what it said because... because... I can't read numbers."

"Can't read numbers?" asked Annie in surprise.

"Yes," said Nia. "Don't get me wrong. I can count well, and I'm good at math. I just find it difficult to actually read the numbers themselves."

"So _that's_ why you had the mix up at Knapford station," Clarabel realized. "You misread the platform signs."

"Why didn't you bring this up before?" asked Toby.

"Because I was afraid everyone would think little of me if they knew of my flaws," Nia admitted. "While we did have numbers in Kenya, I mostly worked in the yards and took the odd long-distance train so numbers weren't quite so important. How can I be a really useful engine if I can't know numbers?"

"Everybody has their flaws," insisted Annie, "but we don't let them get the better of us."

"Just ask Thomas," added Clarabel, before chuckling a little. "You wouldn't believe how often we've had to help him; more times than we bothered to count!"

"If you want," Toby offered, "we could help teach you how to read numbers."

"You can?" asked Nia hopefully.

"Of course." Toby then pulled forward so Nia could see the number seven on his side.

"See this number?" he asked.

"Yes..." said Nia.

"This is the number seven," Toby explained. "It's two straight lines meeting at an angle."

Nia looked over at a nearby tree stump, and saw an axe sticking out from it. To her, it looked the same shape as Toby's number seven.

"That axe looks like a seven," she said.

"Correct," said Toby.

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Toby helped teach Nia how to read different numbers using different shapes to help illustrate them. At one moment, Percy passed by.

"Hello, Nia!" he called.

"Hello there, Percy!" Nia replied back.

"We're teaching Nia how to read numbers," explained Toby. "Percy has the number six on his bunker," he told Nia. "It curves upward."

"Six curves upward," Nia repeated, and looked around to find something that curved upward. She looked over to see a few zookeepers struggling to load a stubborn ostrich onto a lorry. The ostrich cawed menacingly, and for a moment or two, Nia could see it facing back at its owners.

"That cranky ostrich facing back at its owners looks like a six," she giggled. Even Toby was amused by the sight.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were back at the area where track maintenance was happening.

"That sign up ahead says we should be going at twenty miles an hour," said Toby. "Twenty has two digits - two is curved with a straight line, and zero is a circle."

"Curved with a straight line..." Nia looked around, but at first, it looked as if she couldn't find anything shaped like a two. Then she heard a cawing noise and saw a swan swooping downward before it landed in a nearby pond.

"That swan looks like the number two," she remarked. "And zero is easy as well; it's the same shape as our wheels!"

Nia and Toby both slowed down to a little under twenty before coming across another sign - this one saying ten.

"The one is tall and straight, isn't it?" asked Nia. "Like a pine tree?"

"It is indeed," chuckled Toby. "Good job, Nia." The Kenyan engine smiled as they slowed down to ten miles per hour. She blew her whistle and Toby rang his bell to say hello to the workmen while they worked, and the workmen waved back.

* * *

By the time Nia had made it back to Knapford station (Toby had to go down to Knapford harbor to pick up some trucks), she was able to read any numbers she could see. Even those on the other engines.

"There's number eight waiting on platform number five." Nia was referring to Duck waiting with his slip coaches, Alistair, Mirabel and Benjamin, to depart for the Little Western.

"Hello there, number nine!" Nia called to Donald, who was departing from platform four with a goods train for Brendam docks.

"Ye'v nae forgotten oor names awready, hae ye, lassie?" asked Donald with surprise.

"Oh no, Donald," chuckled Annie. "Nia's just learning her numbers, that's all."

"She's come up with a clever way of reading them," added Clarabel. Donald raised an eyebrow with curiosity, as did Duck, but neither engine said anymore about it.

"Good day, Henry," said Nia; the big green engine was waiting with the express on platform one. "How's engine number three doing today?"

"I'm doing quite well," said Henry. "Thank you for asking."

Nia had no further accidents with numbers after this. And every time she did have a problem, she would always turn to a friend for help.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Oh boy... this chapter was pretty frustrating to write up, which is why the previous took a while to get uploaded. But still, I managed to get it done nonetheless! I've had Nia allocated to Thomas' branch line because it seemed reasonable given their friendship, and not to mention the storytelling potential of her playing off against Toby (as seen here), Percy and Mavis, as well as the non-rail vehicles along the line. It gives Nia, well, a purpose, you know? The story is more or less similar to the actual episode, only with more elements being fleshed out (such as Nia's reasoning as to why she suffers from dyscalculia) and the inclusion of Toby in the mentor role. Oh, and I gave Duck's slip coaches names; the first two are named Alistair and Mirabel after his autocoaches in the Railway Series (the former being a gender swap of Alice), and the third Benjamin, the middle name of Charles Collett, Duck's designer.

Next time, we learn about _Rebecca's Sad Story_!


	13. Rebecca's Sad Story

**REBECCA'S SAD STORY**

Rebecca and Gordon were making their way back to Tidmouth sheds.

"What a day this has been," said Rebecca.

"You're telling me," said Gordon. "At least it felt nice being able to pull passengers again. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Sir Topham Hatt took me off of express duties for good..."

"What are you talking about, Gordon?" asked Rebecca.

"With you here taking the express now," Gordon explained sadly, "it would seem that I will never get the privilege to pull it again. I've been replaced."

"Replaced?" gasped Rebecca in shock. "Oh no, you've got it all wrong, Gordon. Sir Topham Hatt didn't bring me here to replace you. He brought me here to _help_ you."

"Help me?" Gordon asked, sounding a bit puzzled.

"I'm here to supplement you on your express duties," Rebecca explained. "That way, you don't have to be so overworked all the time."

"Well... the express had been getting heavier lately," Gordon admitted.

"Things will get better," Rebecca promised.

"Regardless," Gordon went on, "one of my cylinders feels a bit funny. I'd better go to the Steamworks so Victor can look it over."

Suddenly, Rebecca braked hard to a stop. Gordon was surprised by this sudden reaction.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You can't go to the works!" Rebecca cried. "It's a terrible, terrible place!"

"Why?" asked Gordon. "Victor's one of the friendliest, most helpful engines we know."

Rebecca wasn't sure what to say; it was too much for her to talk about, but she knew that Gordon would not stop bothering her until she finally spoke about it. Reluctantly, Rebecca closed her eyes and began to tell Gordon why she was afraid.

"Before I came to Sodor," she began, "I worked with many of my brothers and sisters on the southern part of England, but the one I was the closest to... was Miranda..."

* * *

_Rebecca was one of the youngest of the Bulleid Light Pacifics, coming from Eastleigh works in Hampshire. Most of her siblings were built at Brighton, where Thomas had come from. While many of Rebecca's siblings had a sense of class and dignity about them, Rebecca herself was seen as a bit of a nuisance for how eager and excitable she was._

_One of them, Miranda, one of the oldest of the Bulleid Pacifics, was willing to take young Rebecca under her wing. For many years, the two were inseparable. But like many good things, it wasn't to last forever._

* * *

_One day, Rebecca had just arrived at the works for routine maintenance. However, she was surprised to see how busy it was._

_"Excuse me," she called to a workman, "but what's going on in here?"_

_"There's been an accident," the workman explained. "Miranda's brakes failed while taking a goods train to Southampton, causing her to overrun a signal and fall down an embankment."_

_"Oh my," gasped Rebecca. "I hope she's okay."_

_"I... I hope so too, Rebecca," the workman agreed, but he didn't sound so sure of himself. From what had been said so far, the damage Miranda had taken was very extensive. Another engine had already been sent to fetch the breakdown train to clear away the accident._

_"Please be okay, Miranda," Rebecca said to herself. "Please be okay."_

* * *

_Several hours went by, but to Rebecca, it seemed like forever, but at last, Miranda had finally arrived at the works. The younger Bulleid pacific stared in shock at the damage her older sister had taken._

_"M-Miranda!" she stammered. "H-how did this happen..."_

_"I... I don't kn... know, Rebecca," groaned Miranda. "I tr... tried to slow d... down, but m... my brakes failed on me..."_

_"You Bulleids never did have the best brakes," another workman said grimly. "They've completely shattered."_

_"I-it wasn't our fault!" Rebecca cut in. "W-we didn't choose to be built like that!"_

_"Please don't..." sighed Miranda. "This argument's n... not worth it."_

_"But Miranda-"_

_"Rebecca..." trailed Miranda. "You have a pure heart and a gentle soul... please remember that, my little sister."_

_"Of... of course," Rebecca whispered, on the verge of tears. "I will always remember that, Miranda."_

* * *

_The two sisters never saw each other again after that fateful day. Although Rebecca would soon return to service, she never saw Miranda outside of the works. Rebecca was hoping for a best case scenario in that Miranda had been saved at the last minute and bought by a preservation company, but one day, she couldn't bear it anymore and finally asked one of her other siblings about what had happened to her._

_"Vaughn, do you know what became of Miranda?" Rebecca asked one cloudy day. "Is she alright?"_

_Vaughn, one of the rebuilt Bulleid pacifics, looked at his youngest sister with a grave expression._

_"I wish she was," he said, hoping to break the news gently to Rebecca. "Unfortunately, the damage was so extensive that... that... she couldn't be put back into service."_

_Rebecca gulped. "Y-you mean she's on static display somewhere?" Her voice sounded like she was in denial._

_"No, it's not that," said Vaughn. "Miranda's... not around anymore."_

_Rebecca's eyes suddenly felt like dams about to burst._

_"NO!" she wailed. "Not Miranda! Sh-she can't be... she's not..."_

_"I'm sorry, Rebecca," said Vaughn gently. "We all are." But Rebecca couldn't stand for this and quickly raced away._

* * *

_By now, the rain had begun to fall, and it was pouring down harder by the time Rebecca had arrived at the works._

_"M-Miranda..." she stammered, peering into the works fearfully. "What happened to her?!" she nearly shrieked at a nearby workman._

_"Rebecca..." sighed the workman, clearly upset about the ordeal himself. "Miranda was in a lot of pain, and many of her parts couldn't be replaced."_

_"You could have waited until I came to say a proper goodbye!" Rebecca sobbed. "Don't you know how important Miranda was in my life?! My sister, my best friend, my mentor... gone in one swoop!"_

_"Rebecca... I'm so sorry..." the workman said quietly. "Really, I am."_

_Rebecca couldn't say anymore; she was very badly shaken by what she had just heard, and left the works, her tears blending in with raindrops as they hit her face._

* * *

By the time Rebecca had finished her story, she was crying quietly, tears trickling down her face.

"Ever since that day," she sniffed, "whenever I go near a workshop, I keep thinking about how my sister was taken from me. I never even got to say goodbye to her..."

Gordon was speechless from Rebecca's story. He had heard of many engines having close calls from being scrapped - Douglas, Oliver, Emily, just to name a few. But hearing someone actively lose someone that close to them... it rocked him to his firebox.

"Rebecca, that... that must have been horrible," Gordon whispered.

"It was the most horrifying thing I've ever experienced," Rebecca agreed.

"It always hurts losing someone you care for," said Gordon. "I know how that feels."

"You do?" asked Rebecca.

"Years ago," Gordon explained, "I found out that all but one of my siblings had been withdrawn and scrapped. I felt awful. Not only had I lost a great deal of family, but I didn't even get to say goodbye to them. I was so upset that Sir Topham Hatt arranged for Flying Scotsman, my last surviving brother, to visit and cheer me up."

"No..." Rebecca gazed with awe. "_The_ Flying Scotsman?!"

"The one and only. As much as we care for each other, he just can't resist teasing me by calling me his 'little brother'."

"You are younger than him, right?" asked Rebecca.

"Actually, I was the first built in the class," Gordon explained. "Scott likes to call me 'little brother' because of his extra tender to carry water; it helps for him to travel long distances."

"Oh, I see," Rebecca said with understanding. She then looked up at the sky; it was about to get a lot darker.

"Looks like the sun is setting," said Rebecca. "I think we'd better get home very soon."

"I... don't think I can," Gordon said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Uh... I wasn't exactly hospitable to the other new engine Nia," Gordon explained, rather ashamed. "The others were understandably upset."

"Oh yes, you did mention that," Rebecca sighed. "Did you have a chance to explain your behavior to them?"

"Not yet," said Gordon. "I don't know if they'd listen to me."

"You won't know until you try," Rebecca insisted. "Come on." And with that, the pair set off once more for Tidmouth.

* * *

Gordon and Rebecca had finally arrived at the sheds. Nia, James, Thomas, Percy and Emily were already there.

"...and that, Nia, is how I met Harold for the first time." Percy was finishing a story.

"Engines racing helicopters," she chuckled. "Whatever next?"

"Rebecca coming to the sheds with a certain big engine that shouldn't be here?" retorted James.

"Ha, good one, James."

"Um, I don't think James was joking there," said Thomas. He and the others glanced over to see James' statement wasn't an exaggeration.

"What is he doing here?" asked Emily crossly.

"Look, everyone; I know you aren't happy with me right now..." Gordon began.

"Got that right we aren't!" Thomas cut in. "Nia had done nothing wrong and you weren't exactly very welcoming!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that," said Gordon, trying not to lose his patience. "Now if you'd let me finish..."

"Edward and Henry chose to go to different sheds because they wanted a change of scenery," Percy interjected. "Plus, it was more convenient for them to get their trains at Wellsworth and Vicarstown, respectively."

"You practically acted as if they were being outright replaced and scrapped," James added. This was probably not the best thing to say, as before the red engine could continue, Rebecca spoke up.

"Don't use that term lightly, James!" she snapped. The engines were taken aback by Rebecca's sudden response, and were equally surprised to see her looking angry. "You guys have said that some of you and other fellow engines on the island had some close calls which nearly cost you your lives! I thought you'd be more careful on what you say about things like that."

"R-Rebecca..." gasped Emily, wondering just the newer engine had gone through.

"And on top of that, you weren't even asking Gordon for his side of the story!" Rebecca added with fury.

The other engines fell silent at her words.

"She... does kind of have a point," Thomas said quietly.

"I appreciate the gesture, Rebecca," said Gordon, "but I suppose I'll have to sleep by myself again..." He slowly puffed away before anyone else could reply to him.

* * *

The rest of the night was unusually quiet at Tidmouth sheds, especially after Rebecca's outburst. Only Nia had stayed awake. Making sure that the engines to her left were fast asleep, she glanced over at the streamlined tender engine.

"Rebecca?" she whispered softly. Rebecca had been half-asleep, and gave a soft yawn.

"Nia..." she trailed. "What are you doing awake?"

"I was just wondering; what did you mean by your reaction to James' comment about scrap?" Nia asked. "You sounded particularly tense there."

"I... just got finished telling the story to Gordon before I got here tonight," Rebecca explained.

"Story to Gordon?" Nia raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "What story was it about?"

"My sister, Miranda," Rebecca explained, and she gave Nia the full low-down of Miranda's accident and subsequent scrapping. When Rebecca had finished, Nia didn't say anything at first. She looked at the bigger engine with a mixture of shock and sadness.

"I... I know what it's like to lose a family member to scrap as well," the Kenyan engine said at last.

"You do?"

"Back in Kenya, I... didn't have a good manager," Nia explained. "He would often threaten my friends with scrap, and... actually went through with it a few times. It was thanks to Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt that I was able to get a better life here, and my remaining friends got a better manager."

Rebecca shuddered; compared to what Nia went through, the Bulleid engine had gotten off lightly. "That's... that's awful."

"I know," said Nia. "Still, it's at least good to know you're not alone... right?"

"Yes, it's comforting to know," Rebecca replied. "I wish Gordon wasn't alone right now..."

"To be honest... so do I." Rebecca was surprised; after everything Gordon had said to her, Nia wished for him to return to Tidmouth sheds?

"Yes, what he said that night was uncalled for," said Nia, "and it cut me deep inside. But seeing him interacting with you tonight and the way you stood up for him... it made me start to think he's not so bad."

There was a brief pause between them before Rebecca spoke up again.

"Oh, and Nia... is it okay if we keep this talk about Miranda between ourselves? I don't think I'm ready to tell the others about her just yet."

"Of course," smiled Nia. With that, the two went to sleep. They both hoped that by morning, this issue with Gordon would be resolved once and for all.

**Miranda's accident was based upon a derailment that occurred with No. 34084 **_**253 Squadron **_**on February 20, 1960 at Hither Green. The engine was hauling a goods train and overran signals resulting in a derailment before falling down an embankment and onto its side. The locomotive was fully recovered after eight days and pushed back into service before being withdrawn from service in October 1965. The engine was in unrebuilt form.**

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, that got pretty serious, didn't it? Not to worry, though; there is a happy ending to this fourteen part saga. The character of Miranda came from a working name Rebecca was intended to have before the latter got her final name, but I still liked the sound of the name Miranda. So, when planning this saga out, I made her an older sister to Rebecca. Miranda looks a lot like Rebecca, but she has an older looking face, an unrebuilt tender and is painted in a darker shade of green. The other of Rebecca's siblings, Vaughn, is one of the rebuilt Bulleid pacifics in the same shade of dark green.

Only one more chapter to go for the saga, but will everyone stay _Friends Together to the End_? Hopefully!


	14. Friends Together to the End

**FRIENDS TOGETHER TO THE END**

**Based upon "Forever and Ever" by Andrew Brenner**

Following the confrontation at Tidmouth sheds, Gordon had become unusually distant from the rest of the engines. To be fair to him, Rebecca couldn't blame Gordon for acting this way. Apart from Nia, it looked as though the engines weren't ready to forgive him just yet. The big blue engine was at Vicarstown station when he noticed Flying Scotsman pulling in. Fortunately for Gordon, Scotsman had not heard about his recent behavior, which was probably just as well.

"Hello, little brother," Scotsman greeted.

"Buzz off," Gordon grumbled. "I'm not in the mood for your teasing."

Scotsman was taken aback. Usually Gordon just ignored his teasing, but he never knew his brother to be so grumpy or bitter.

"What's the matter with you?" the double tender engine asked. Gordon explained to his brother everything that had been going on recently. Flying Scotsman was most surprised to hear his own brother stooping to such a low as making another engine feel so unwelcome.

"I can't believe you would do such a thing, Gordon," he said. "Usually you tease little engines. But never would you ever go as far as that."

"I know," Gordon sighed. "I regret ever saying those things to Nia. I want to take it all back, but I can't, and none of the engines have any intentions of forgiving me."

"Surely they can't stay mad forever," Scotsman insisted. "Name one person or engine who has ever benefited from holding onto a grudge."

Neither Gordon nor Scotsman said anything for what seemed like an eternity; the former thought hard about what the latter had just pointed out. The famous engine knew that his brother could be pompous at times, but he wasn't that much different either when it came to knocking Gordon's ego a peg or two. That being said, Scotsman never abused his status as a famous engine; he was humble and down to earth, treating fellow engines from other railways like they were on the same level, but there was no engine he respected more than Gordon, his closest brother. Family always stood by each other, no matter what, even if they weren't blood related.

"You have a point," Gordon admitted. Just then, the guard blew his whistle.

"I'll see you later, brother," said Gordon, pulling out of the station. "Clearly, I've much to think about." Scotsman watched as Gordon departed. He hoped that things would get better for his brother soon.

* * *

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful for the engines of the North Western Railway. Rebecca pulled her trains to time without setting off too early and Nia was getting a better handling on how things operated on Thomas' branch line. Sir Topham Hatt came to speak to both engines.

"Your work has been wonderful these past few days," he said. "Er, despite a few slip ups, of course. But how would you like new coats of paint?"

"Oh, thank you, sir!" cried the engines.

"What would you like to be painted in?"

"I'm... not sure," Nia admitted.

"Neither am I," added Rebecca. "Truth be told, I never imagined myself being anything but green."

"Yes, no offense to those painted that color," added Nia, "but I think there are enough green engines on Sodor."

"Very well," said Sir Topham Hatt. "When you decide on a new color for yourselves, let me know." The engines promised.

* * *

A little while later, Nia and Rebecca were setting off back to work.

"We've already ruled out green," said Nia, "and I don't think black would suit you either. But what other colors could we be?"

"What about blue, like the Sodor flag?" suggested Rebecca. "I remember Thomas once saying it's the only proper color for a really useful engine."

"Ooh, that comment nearly ruined his friendship with Percy," Nia insisted, having been told about the coal ordeal.

"Oh my..." trailed Rebecca. "That's kind of petty..."

"You're telling me," the Kenyan engine agreed. Just then, the pair saw James pulling in with a stopping passenger train, showing off as he did so.

"Another passenger run on the dot," he smirked.

"Definitely not red," Nia and Rebecca said to each other.

"What?" James blinked, confused. "Er, someone enlighten the subject please?"

"We're thinking about what we want for our new liveries," Rebecca explained.

"Oh, that," James hummed. "You've been here a while and still haven't decided."

"Well, we already decided we don't want to be painted red," said Nia. Then, with a cheeky smirk, she added, "Not unless we wanted to go through the back of the shed or need a bootlace for our trains!"

James growled at that remark. "I'll never hear the end of this..." Both female engines giggled to each other before they had to split up to do their jobs.

* * *

Nia was taking a goods run down Thomas' branch line. She had to pick up some fruits and vegetables from the farm to take to the market.

"The farms sure have been busy lately," Nia said to herself.

"You're telling me!" said a voice from nearby. "This could be Farmer Finney's biggest market season yet!" Nia glanced to the side to see an orange tractor plowing the field.

"Oh, hello there," Nia smiled. "You're Terence, right? Thomas said you rescued him from a snowdrift once."

"That's right," the tractor smiled. "That was after he was foolish enough to damage his snowplow, all because he didn't want to wear it."

Nia giggled. "Yes, he did mention that. He was quite embarrassed about the ordeal."

"No surprise there," Terence chuckled. "Oh, what's your name?"

"I'm Nia."

"Pleasure to meet you, Nia," said Terence. "I believe the others mentioned you a few times. How are you liking the island?"

"It's pretty good," said Nia. "This branch line is just beautiful, and everyone on the branch has been very kind and welcoming."

"Glad to hear it," said Terence. "Try and be careful though; life down here can be full of surprises."

"I don't need to be told twice," said Nia, recalling her incident with numbers. As Nia set out, she began to think.

_That orange color on Terence looked quite nice,_ she thought. _Perhaps I could be painted that way too..._

* * *

Meanwhile, Rebecca was on her way to Crovan's Gate with a passenger run.

"So many people like touring the Skarloey line," she said to herself. "Must be because of the lake and the waterfall."

"Yeah, that seems about right," her driver nodded. "My sister took some photos of those places just last week and showed them to me."

The engine waiting to take some passengers wanting to go down the line was Duncan, who, as usual, was complaining.

"I get no rest!" he grunted as he let off steam.

"Whoa... uh, what's with him?" Rebecca asked quietly.

"Oh, don't mind him," called Peter Sam as he came into the yard. "He just likes having a grievance." Duncan just scoffed in response to the little green engine's comment.

"You know, you're painted yellow," said Rebecca. "It's a very bright, cheerful color, after all."

Duncan blinked as he glanced at Rebecca. "No one's really commented on that before," he said quietly.

"But it's true," smiled Rebecca. "It's not often engines are painted like that."

Rebecca then beamed as realization dawned. "That's it!" she cried. "Oh, wait until Nia hears this."

"Wait, what did I do?" asked Duncan, but Rebecca's guard's whistle went off.

* * *

Sir Topham Hatt was most surprised when he heard what Nia and Rebecca's requests for new liveries were.

"Are you sure those colors are the ones you want?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Rebecca smiled. "Yellow is such a cheerful color."

"Terence's orange livery brightened up my day too," Nia agreed.

"Hmm, I see," said Sir Topham Hatt. "If those colors truly are what you want, I can't stop you from going ahead with your choices."

"Thank you, sir!" smiled Nia. "Come on, Becky; let's get to the Steamworks."

"Erm... right behind you," said Rebecca, a bit nervously.

"It's alright," whispered Nia. "I'll be going with you. I've only seen Victor a few times when I was passing through Crovan's Gate, but he is really nice."

"I-if you're sure," Rebecca stammered, and the two headed off together. "I suppose that sooner or later, I'll have to face my fears..."

* * *

Two days later, Gordon was puffing anxiously along the line. His cylinder had been feeling much worse lately, and to make matters worse, his regular driver had called in sick, so a relief man was on the footplate instead.

"Never you mind, Gordon," assured his fireman. "Once we arrive at Crovan's Gate, I'll phone for another engine to take over the express while we get your cylinder looked at."

Sadly, Gordon's fireman would never get the chance. They had to stop at Maron station as Gordon's water tank was almost empty.

"We'd better refill here," said the fireman. "We don't want Gordon to run dry."

"Alright, mate," said the relief driver, and he turned on the tap which began to fill up Gordon's water tank. He was supposed to pay attention to the water flowing until the tank was full, but unfortunately, he had gotten distracted.

"Come on, it can't take that long to fill up the boiler," the relief driver said to himself. Just then, he noticed a stream of water dripping down the side of Gordon's tender.

"Oh my..." The relief driver quickly turned off the water tower.

"Has it started raining?" asked Gordon to himself.

"No, just topped off your tank," said the relief driver. "We should be good to go." The fireman joined the relief driver on the footplate and Gordon started away.

However, it wasn't long before Gordon began to feel his wheels starting to slip.

"Huh, what's going on?" he gasped. He began to feel very uncomfortable in the boiler.

"Drop the sand!" cried the fireman. But instead of listening to the fireman's instruction, the relief driver instead reopened the regulator. This proved to be a big mistake, as Gordon's boiler had begun to prime, which resulted in the regulator getting jammed wide open.

"Ouch!" Gordon yelped. "What was that for?!" Suddenly, he felt his wheels spinning faster than they had ever gone before; the relief driver had re-positioned the reversing gear to full forward. Suddenly...

_BANG!_

Gordon let out a great scream of pain, and had disappeared in a cloud of smoke and steam! To make it even worse, there was the sound of metal being disintegrated.

* * *

Meanwhile, Henry was puffing by further up the line.

"At this rate, I may get to visit my forest when the day's work is over," he hummed to himself. "I wonder if Nia or Rebecca have seen my forest at any point yet..."

Just then, his driver noticed that there was a signal up ahead set at danger. Henry slowly came to a stop and the signalwoman went to speak to his crew.

"Gordon's had a very severe accident," she said. "His cylinder covers blew off after slipping at dangerous speeds and his motion's disintegrated. His relief driver's been taken to the hospital by Harold, but the express needs to get to its destination as soon as possible."

Henry was horrified at what he had heard; despite his falling out with Gordon, this was a very severe situation.

"Hurry, driver and fireman!" he ordered. "And get the signalwoman to call up the Steamworks!"

* * *

By the time Henry had arrived at the scene of the accident, Gordon's boiler had cooled down so it would be safe for him to be moved, but the big blue engine was still in great pain after the initial shock. Henry felt sorry for Gordon, seeing him whimpering in pain and with tears in his eyes.

There was no time to turn Henry around, so he had to pull Gordon and the express to Crovan's Gate tender first, but at a slow and careful pace to prevent further damage. After the express had gone, the rails where Gordon had slipped on had to be replaced as deep grooves had been worn in.

"Go-Gordon..." stammered Henry. "A-are you alright?"

"N-no..." moaned Gordon. "But thank you for asking. Also, I wanted to apologize. For everything these past few weeks."

"Rebecca mentioned that you were coming around," Henry said quietly. "Tell me... what started this whole debacle?"

"Well..." Gordon sighed. "Ever since I first came to the North Western Railway, we've always lived at Tidmouth together. Always talking long hours into the night, sharing stories and secrets. And then... one day, you and Edward both moved out. I've always belittled Edward for being old-fashioned, and I was even made fun of you before and after your crash with the Flying Kipper. But I never realized until then how much I really considered you two close friends, you especially since, in a way, we were almost like brothers."

"I suppose in a way, we kind of are. Well, more like we _were_ half-brothers," Henry chuckled lightly. "My old shape was inspired from an early draft of your design."

"And whoever it was that stole those plans," said Gordon, "I suppose we'll never know for sure."

"Sometimes things can be blessings in disguise," Henry agreed.

"You could say that," Gordon sighed as they pulled into Crovan's Gate. Despite the intensity of the incident, his talk with Henry had helped Gordon to forget his pain.

* * *

Henry had left Gordon at the Steamworks and proceeded to go ahead with the express.

"Gordon, what on earth happened?!" gasped Victor, puffing over anxiously. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," the big blue engine groaned. "Even going through a station wall wasn't that bad..."

"How exactly did this happen?" asked Kevin. Gordon quickly gave them a brief insight as to what he went through.

"Ouch..." Victor winced. "Don't worry, we'll get this sorted out."

Nearby, Gordon saw Nia and Rebecca in for their repaints.

"Uh... hello, Nia and Rebecca," he said quietly, unsure how the former was going to respond.

"Are you alright, Gordon?" Nia asked with concern. "You look like you've been through a serious accident."

"Uh... yes," Gordon admitted. "Henry had to bring me over here, though I can't put my buffer on how this happened."

"Did anything strange happen before your accident?" asked Nia.

"Well, I did feel some water running off the side of my tender," Gordon admitted. "I thought it may have been rain, but it's more likely that my boiler was overflowed with water."

"Water overflowing?" gasped Rebecca. "That would explain it. I heard a story about an engine on the mainland with an experience like that."

"I did have a relief driver today," Gordon concluded. "He must have not been concentrating on what he was doing. Not sure he'll be staying on after today..."

"Indeed," agreed Nia. "I'm just glad you're going to be okay."

"As am I," said Gordon. The big blue engine paused before looking down at his buffers in shame.

"Nia," he said, "since you arrived on Sodor, I've been unfairly hostile towards you. It's just that throughout the years I've lived here, Edward and Henry were almost like brothers to me, and I took that for granted. I was so upset about them leaving Tidmouth that I took it out on you, saying things that I shouldn't have. I'm very sorry I treated you like a piece of scrap, Nia; you certainly deserved better."

Nia was a little surprised by Gordon's apology and she almost cried when he gave his reasons for his actions.

"I think I'm beginning to understand," Nia said quietly. "I felt bad with leaving all my friends behind in Africa, and I miss them too."

Now it was Gordon's turn to stare in shock. In all the commotion, he had been thinking of himself. At least with Edward and Henry, they were still on Sodor, and he could talk to them if he happened to be doing a job in the same area as them. Nia's friends were all the way in another part of the world.

"It... would be difficult to contact your friends in Africa," Gordon said truthfully.

"Indeed," Nia sighed. "But I know they are at peace now, with a new manager and everything. That at least eases my mind."

"That's a relief at least," said Gordon. He figured now would be a good time to change the subject. "Oh, you two are getting repainted, I see."

"We sure are," said Rebecca. "I bet our new colors will brighten up everyone's days."

"Indeed," agreed Nia, "New colors for a new life."

"That's what I said too," chuckled Victor. At long last, Gordon's pride had been brought down to earth, and peace between him and Nia had been made.

* * *

That evening, Rebecca and Nia returned to Tidmouth sheds with their new liveries. Rebecca was now painted bright yellow and navy with white lining and wheel rims, red and orange stripes along her sides, and the number twenty-two and the initials for the North Western Railway on her cab sides and tender, respectively, in white. Nia had been painted orange with yellow lining with her old African pattern still painted on her tanks and dome, green and yellow lining on her cylinders, green stripes on her boiler and brake pump, and the number eighteen on the sides of her cab in yellow within black squares.

"You two look great," smiled Thomas. "Yellow and orange really suit you."

"I see you've kept your old patterns too, Nia," said Percy.

"I've had them since I was first built," said Nia. "I couldn't bear parting ways with them."

"That's fair enough," said Emily.

"I personally wouldn't picture any of us in those colors, but they fit the two of you very well," said James. "Where'd you get the ideas from?"

"I saw Duncan down at Crovan's Gate," Rebecca explained.

"And I met with Terence near Hackenbeck," added Nia.

"That would explain it," smiled Percy. There were light chuckles from the group before Rebecca spoke again.

"Did you hear about the accident today?" she asked seriously. The other engines (barring Nia) tensed up at her words.

"What accident?" asked Emily.

"Gordon's cylinder covers blew off and his motion was destroyed."

"WHAT?!" The other four engines exchanged anxious glances.

"To make it worse for him," Nia added, "he won't be back in service for at least a couple of months. That accident was very severe."

"How did that happen?" asked Thomas.

"Boiler priming after being overfilled with water," said Nia.

"That... sounds scary..." gulped Percy. "Is Gordon going to be okay?"

"He will be," Nia assured. "We just have to be patient."

* * *

Nia was right. Towards the end of November, Gordon's cylinders and motion had finally been repaired, and he arrived at Tidmouth sheds that evening feeling apprehensive. He was surprised (and relieved) to see not only Thomas, James, Percy, Emily (having recently been painted back into her normal livery), Nia and Rebecca there to welcome him home, but also Edward, Henry, Toby, Rosie and Philip.

"Welcome home, Gordon!" cried Rosie.

"How are you feeling?" asked Edward.

"Physically, I feel fine," Gordon answered truthfully. "The Steamworks does a great job as always."

"That's good to hear," said Emily. Gordon then went quiet, trying to collect his thoughts.

"I... I want to apologize for what I..."

"We already know," Thomas cut in, his voice firm but gentle. "Nia and Rebecca explained to us about what happened."

"And we want to apologize as well for turning our backs on you," added Percy. "We should have given you a fair chance to explain your half of the situation. But we were so upset with you for hurting Nia's feelings that we didn't think."

"Well, I brought it upon myself," Gordon insisted. "I let anger and pride cloud my judgement."

"Edward and I are sorry too," added Henry, "for not giving you time to process the fact that we were moving out of Tidmouth. Before your breakdown, I never realized before how much you considered both of us close friends."

"No matter where we go on Sodor," Edward said, "our bonds and friendships will stay in the same place."

"It's alright," Gordon smiled. "We'll still see each other around. I understand that now."

"Gordon?" asked Rebecca. "Now you're back, are you back on express duties tomorrow?"

"Actually, Rebecca," said Gordon, after a brief moment of consideration, "why don't you take the first express tomorrow? It's as much your duty as it is mine. Besides, I could do with the rest after being at the Steamworks."

"Then maybe you won't mind repaying Henry by taking the Flying Kipper for him?" Nia smirked.

"Why yes, I wouldn't mind taking the Flying K... Just a minute! Did you just imply-?!"

"You might be one of the biggest engines on Sodor, Gorodn," Nia smirked cheekily, "but in the end, we smaller engines always get the last laugh!"

Gordon groaned with indignation and rolled his eyes while Nia and some of the other engines laughed. "I swear, she's spent far too much time with Thomas!"

* * *

These days, Nia and Rebecca are happy as can be on Sodor. Nia still thinks about her old friends in Africa, but those on Sodor have become close enough to her that she doesn't feel lonely anymore. Rebecca still feels saddened by Miranda's demise, but she knows that as long as Miranda was remembered by her, she was never truly gone. Their new liveries also sparked interest and discussion among rail enthusiasts, with many commenting that an engine painted in yellow or orange was quite the novelty. That didn't stop others from dismissing their new liveries as garish and out of place, but as long as Nia and Rebecca did their work, hurtful comments about their liveries meant nothing to them. What they wanted was their way of expressing themselves.

But what happened to Gordon's relief driver? Well, he did make a full recovery in the hospital, but he never worked for the railway again after Gordon's accident, and he now had a few scars as a reminder not to be so reckless in his work in the future. I hope he's learned from this terrifying experience; do you?

**THE END**

**Gordon's incident was based upon what happened to LNER Peppercorn A2 60532 **_**Blue Peter**_** on October 1, 1994, when during the first run of a preserved steam locomotive from Edinburgh to Newcastle and York, the engine suffered extensive damage during a catastrophic uncontrolled wheelslip. The driver's arms were severely injured and it took eighteen months to repair the locomotive following the incident.**

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, here we go! That's the end of this fourteen (originally twelve) story saga! I didn't intend for this to become a secondary rewrite to _Forever and Ever_, but that's how it turned out. I also didn't plan on this chapter being as long as it ended up becoming, but overall, I think it makes for a pretty solid conclusion to the saga with Nia and Rebecca being painted into their current liveries and Gordon being re-accepted at Tidmouth sheds.

Plus, throughout this saga, nearly every Steam Team member - past and present - has had a big role to play. Thomas, Gordon, Emily, Nia and Rebecca were all the main players, but Edward, Henry, Percy and Toby also had their own part in the saga as well. Only James didn't have much to do, but still, it's pretty impressive. My take on Nia thus far is that she retains the sassy part of her personality from the film as opposed to being dropped as soon as season 22 happened; I think that's more worthy for storytelling potential than being stuck in the "kind and helpful" box that Edward was taken out of, not to mention it makes Nia stand out more from him. Rebecca is just about similar to her TV series portrayal - a bit klutzy, optimistic, sometimes shy or anxious, occasionally gullible, but honest and far smarter and more perceptive than she seems. The only major difference is a tragic past in losing part of her family, which Nia can understand and relate to, giving them a close friendship.

Is there going to be more books for _The International Railway Series_? Yes; I got one planned for Duck, another for the Skarloey Railway, and a third for the diesels of Sodor, each with four stories to bring the total to 26. After that is (hopefully) a feature-length special of sorts. We'll see where it goes in the future.


End file.
